Press Releases

NPWA Begins Road Work in Pennbrook Area of Lansdale

Lansdale, PA – July 12, 2019 – Beginning the week of July 15, 2019, North Penn Water Authority (NPWA) will begin construction to replace approximately 12,000 feet of water main with 8-inch ductile iron pipe and install new water meter pits in the Pennbrook Area of Lansdale Borough. New water main will replace older 6-inch and 8-inch water main prone to breakage and will improve system reliability, water quality and fire protection in this area. The entire construction project will take approximately four months. This work is being done in cooperation with Lansdale Borough’s 2020 overlay schedule.

NPWA’s contractor, SJM Construction Co.  Inc., will begin mobilization and construction the week of July 15, 2019. The contractor may have two construction crews working simultaneously in the construction zone. After completion of the water main installation, the water services will be renewed from the new water main to the property owner’s curb stop located in the utility right of way behind the curb in the grass or sidewalk. In conjunction with the service renewal work, new water meter pits will then be installed just past the new curb stops at all properties.

A meter pit allows the Authority full access to the meter and reading equipment without ever having to access customers’ homes or businesses, eliminating the need for customers to schedule an appointment with an NPWA Field Service Representative to service a meter. Actual meter readings will be obtained for every billing. NPWA will own and maintain the meter pit. As part of a continuous plan to improve the quality and accuracy of meter readings, NPWA has added an advanced meter reading system that provides daily readings to the Authority. If continuous usage is detected for an extended time, NPWA’s Customer Service Department is alerted. The Authority can then proactively investigate to determine if a problem exists and notify the customer immediately. Currently, NPWA must wait until the readings are processed for billing, once every three months. In order for customers to see the full benefit, new meters that read to a higher resolution must be installed. In the coming weeks, as services are switched to the new water main, these new meters will be installed in the meter pit.

“North Penn Water Authority is dedicated to providing our customers with a clean, reliable and economic source of water,” said Anthony Bellitto Jr., P.E., executive director of North Penn Water Authority. “Replacing old water main will help improve water quality in the area of construction and installing new water meters and meter pits will improve leak detection capabilities and provide us with a more precise meter reading, which will increase efficiency and reduce water waste which saves customers money in the long-run.”

In order to ensure the public and workers’ safety, roads NPWA is working on will be closed to through traffic during the hours of work (7:00 am – 4:00 pm). Hancock will be closed and a detour will take drivers to Main Street via Walnut Street and Church Road.

Notifications will be distributed to customers prior to the contractor beginning work on individual blocks. A road closure and detour will be in effect on Hancock Street during the hours of construction. At the end of each workday, the roadway will be open and traversable. School buses, emergency vehicles and residents will have access to their homes, but may experience minor delays in some instances. “No Parking” signs will be placed out in the area of anticipated construction the day before.

We regret any inconvenience that you may experience during this period. This improvement project is part of our ongoing, asset management plan to replace older water mains in order to continue to provide our customers with high quality drinking water and adequate fire protection.

For more information, please visit www.npwa.org or call 215-855-3617.

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About North Penn Water Authority
Established in 1965, North Penn Water Authority (NPWA) is a municipally owned, nonprofit Authority with a dedicated, professional workforce committed to providing the community with a safe, reliable, and economical water supply.  Water supplied to their customers comes from both a surface water supply that is treated at the state of the art Forest Park Water Treatment Plant (FPWTP) and from 15 groundwater wells located throughout the service area. To provide the highest quality water, the Authority has in place a main replacement program and performs annual flushing of its 580 miles of water main which serves nearly 35,000 customers.  NPWA also owns and maintains all fire hydrants in the service area to ensure hydrants are in working order in case of fire emergencies. NPWA employees, many of whom are NPWA customers themselves, take pride in being able to provide this service to the community. For more information, please visit www.npwa.org or call 215-855-3617.