Regional Collaboration Among

3 Municipal Authorities

North Penn Water AuthorityNorth Wales Water Authority

Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority

PA AWWA Fall Joint Technical ConferenceOct. 22, 2015

Forest Park Water Treatment Plant &

Point Pleasant Pump Station

Today over 200,000 people receive water from the project

with an average daily usage of 30 MGD

• 1966 – Plan first considered to divert water from the Delaware River at Point Pleasant in Bucks County

• 1970’s – Neshaminy Water Resources Authority approves diversion plan. Lake Galena is impounded with a dam for water supply, flood control, and recreational purposes.

Limited Groundwater Supply

Contaminated groundwater wells requiring treatment

Point PleasantPumping Station

• 1980 – Bucks County Commissioners approve the Point Pleasant Pumping Station project for drinking water supply & cooling water for PECO’s Limerick nuclear power plant. Protests start.

• 1981 – Bucks County & Montgomery County sign joint construction agreement. Delaware River Basin Commission approves Pump project. Federal judge dismisses lawsuit from protesters and allows construction to begin.

• 1982 – More lawsuits are filed by citizen groups to stop project.

• 1983 – Protests continue, even blockading construction site. Hundreds of people arrested. Bucks County Commissioners cave in to public pressure and seek to stop construction. Judge overrules and orders that construction should continue.

Why the Opposition?

• Anti-development, anti-growth movement

• Claims of negative environmental impacts

• Anti-nuclear power movement

Limerick

The Fight Over The Pump

• 1984 – North Penn & North Wales Water Authorities, along with PECO, file a lawsuit to force Bucks County to continue construction.

• 1985 – Court rules that construction should continue, and gives the right to the Authorities to buy out Bucks County’s interest in the project. Bucks County appeals the ruling.

• 1986 – Governor Casey expresses opposition to the project. After appeal, State Supreme Court upholds the ruling to continue construction.

• 1987 – Public opposition continues, blocking access to construction site. Governor Casey’s administration orders work to be halted.

• 1988 – State Supreme Court overules the Governor and allows construction of the Pump Station to continue. Bucks County borrows $16 million to pay for construction completion. North Penn & North Wales Water Authorities begin construction of the Interim Forest Park Water Treatment Plant in Chalfont.

• 1989 – Bucks County pays $1.2 million settlement to end lawsuits from contractors over delays. Pump begins operation, sending cooling water to PECO’s nuclear power plant at Limerick.

• 1990 – PECO reaches settlement agreement with Bucks County, paying up to $3.5 million per year for 35 years to buy out the County’s ownership of the project. North Penn & North Wales Water Authorities reach settlement agreement with Bucks County, paying $800,000 per year. Authorities begin operating the 3 MGD Interim Forest Park Water Treatment Plant in Chalfont.

• 1991 – North Penn & North Wales Water Authorities begin construction of full-size 20 MGD Forest Park Water Treatment Plant, costing $32 million.

• 1994 – Forest Park Water Treatment Plant is completed and begins operations.

• 1997 – Through internal operational changes in the treatment process, Forest Park is re-rated to 30 MGD capacity