Continuing the Tradition of Excellence: 
Program 2000 and Beyond

Long recognized for providing the best possible water quality and  delivery system, Chester Water Authority (CWA) is today continuing this  pledge into the 21st century with a strong commitment  to a capital improvement campaign that has been ongoing since the mid-1970s.

A number of significant high-technology projects, coupled with major maintenance, renovation, and construction efforts, will help the Authority keep abreast of changing government regulations and evolving technology. The more that is learned about how to enhance and ensure drinking water quality and how to prevent pollution of water sources, the more crucial it is for the Authority to incorporate the best available technology into our day-to-day activities.

The CWA Capital Program 2000 and Beyond does just that.

With a capital budget of approximately $9.128 million for the year 2000, the Authority has many essential and exciting projects underway and set to begin this year:

Upgrade of the Susquehanna Pumping Station This three-year project is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2000. Complementing the two existing pumps, the new third pump (with its new, 1,500 horsepower motor) will have a capacity of 15 million gallons per day, increasing the supply to 30 million gallons per day even if one of the other pumps is out of service. In addition, the electrical switchgear and instrumentation are being improved to allow reliable remote control of the entire Susquehanna Station from the Octoraro Plant.

Installation of the Laboratory Information System at the Octoraro Treatment Plant  Enhanced computerization will allow CWA to more effectively track water quality analyses and customer questions about water quality, and to more efficiently meet local, state, and federal data recording requirements.

Replacement of the Glen Mills Booster Station  Replacing the 1979 below-ground booster station with more modern, above-ground facilities will enlarge pumping capacity and provide for improved operations, maintenance, and dependability.

Upgrade of SCADA  SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System. This upgrade will provide for the installation and implementation of the third generation of this facility control and information system that was originally installed in 1980.

Replacement of Broadmeadows Tank  This project will provide a new 300,000-gallon elevated water tank to replace a 150,000 gallon tank originally placed into service in 1940.

Cleaning and Repainting Village Green Tank #8  This crucial maintenance project consists of cleaning and painting the interior and exterior steel surfaces of the 10-million-gallon tank, which is one of nine similar tanks located at the CWA Village Green Tank Farm in Aston Township, Delaware County. 

Ongoing Route 291 Second Phase Water Main Relocation   Work will continue on designing all required relocations for the proposed PennDOT highway project, which will complete the reconstruction of Pennsylvania Route 291 through the City of Chester.

Installation of Permanent Generators for Kennett Square, Chadds Ford Reserve and Village Green This project is part of the Authority’s ongoing program to provide CWA-owned and -operated emergency back-up preparation. The generators will provide constant water delivery reliability at CWA facilities during power-company outages.

Construction of the Baltimore Pike Tank and Booster Station  This new booster station and 300,000-gallon ground-level tank will be used to enhance CWA’s water delivery system capability. This will ensure sufficient water supplies to area users, especially the areas of New London, Penn, and Upper Oxford Townships in Chester County where Southern Chester County Hospital and Lincoln University are located.

Expansion of Main Office  CWA’s Customer Service portion of our main office at 415 Welsh Street in Chester is being expanded and reconfigured to enable CWA’s Customer Service representatives to better serve our customers.

Rehabilitation of Water Mains  CWA has an active and aggressive program of rehabilitating water mains, services, valves, hydrants, and meters in selected areas of our distribution system. This program has been in effect since 1974, rehabilitating water mains that have been in service from 60 to over 100 years. The rehabilitation restores the water mains to better-than-new condition with a cement lining process and allows for the renewal of all valves, hydrants, and meters in the affected areas. All non-copper service lines are replaced with copper so that, in effect, the entire water system is brand-new after the rehabilitation.

1996 - 1999 Projects made great strides
Innovative capital programs have long been an integral part of the Authority’s tradition of quality, service, and value. In just the past three years alone, many exciting projects have been completed. Among them are:

Geographical Information System (GIS)  GIS is an electronic way of mapping sections of the distribution system areas served by the Authority. This allows for a rapid updating of––and access to––any changes or additions in water main locations, which may affect maintenance or other operations and new construction.

Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) Installations  To date, 3,800 AMR meters have been installed. These meters can be read automatically with the use of radio transmitting and receiving equipment.

New Tank (#9) at Village Green Tank Farm  In 1999, a new 10-million-gallon prestressed concrete tank was put into service, making it the ninth 10-million-gallon tank in our Village Green Tank Farm in Aston Township, Delaware County.