[Image: Warren Gormley, Authority Manager at Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority (NBCJMA), advised supervisors at an August 10, 2022 public meeting, that the sale of the BCWSA sewer assets to a private company (Auqua PA), is “just not a good thing for the rate payers."]
Bucks County's proposed $1.1 billion sale of its sewer and water operations is off, according to Essential Utilities Inc. [parent company of Aqua PA]
The company reached an exclusive one-year agreement to discuss purchasing the county's wastewater operations in July. That led to public objections to sewer operations, now controlled by the public Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, being controlled by a for-profit operation. Those complaints led to a reversal Tuesday by the authority against such a deal.
"While we were surprised and disappointed by the sudden turn of events yesterday, we respect the opinions of the Bucks County elected officials," according to a statement from Christopher Franklin, chairman and chief executive officer of Essential Utilities.
Franklin said government-owned systems have suffered "tragic events associated with long-term deferred maintenance."*
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But will that prevent future rate increases? According to S&P Global Ratings, “Currently, the system has affordable rates and above-average incomes, which we view as positive given the potential for future rate increases.” Read "Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority receives A+ bond rating as it prepares for major repairs."
*Currently, Newtown's sewage is handled by the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, which sends some of its waste to Philadelphia's overloaded system," Newtown Joint Municipal Authority Board of Directors Chairman Eric Johnson explained in 2013. "Their systems are falling apart. They are leaking raw sewage all over the place," Johnson said.
The process comes with a hefty price tag for Newtown—on average, the Municipal Authority pays about a quarter of a million dollars a month to treat local waste, an expense that is passed on to ratepayers.
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