Water torture
No reason for Clairton townhomes to stay shut off
In Clairton, where poverty is high, crime is alarming and prospects for a development boom anytime soon are low, it would be nice if at least the water flowed.
On May 10, Pennsylvania American Water Co. shut off the water for about six hours to the 425 units at Century Townhomes because of unpaid bills totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. The money is owed by the homeowners association, which is supposed to collect payments from the owners and tenants of the various units and then pay the water company. But much of the debt accumulated under a company, Century Arms Townhomes LLC, that owned 165 units and failed to remit its share to the homeowners association.
Now, the homeowners association is in bankruptcy, and residents wonder if or when their taps will run dry again.They shouldn’t have to live that way. Clairton is an economically depressed American city, not a developing country struggling through issues offood and water security.
The fates of the 425 units are inextricably linked because of the longago decision to install one water meter for the entire complex. Instead of paying for the water they actually use, residents are supposed to pay a flat $150 to the homeowners association each month for water and sewage disposal.
New housing developments usually have separately metered units, but a single meter is not uncommon in older complexes such as Century Townhomes, which dates to the 1940s. There, it’s been a recipe for disaster. Some pay for more water than they use, others for less and a certain number, like Century Arms, haven’t paid what they owed.
With one meter, one account with the water company and one entity on the hook for bills, everyone suffered when Pennsylvania American briefly cracked down last month on the delinquency.
State Rep. Austin Davis, DMcKeesport, has suggested that the utility put in meters for all units. That would be one way for the water company to resolve billing issues going forward, but it wouldn’t wipe the debt off the books. The bankruptcy case may do that, perhaps giving Pennsylvania American a fraction of what it’s owed.
This is where government should step in, first to work with Pennsylvania American to prevent future shutoffs and second to find a long-term solution to the complex’s water woes. A state that seems to give incentives to every developer with his hand out should be able to provide financial assistance for a critical infrastructure upgrade benefiting disadvantaged residents in a disadvantaged town.
Moreover, the state already spends lots of money on municipal water projects that are no less important — some, arguably, are way less important — than what’s needed in Clairton.
So far this year, Gov. Tom Wolf has announced $134 million for two dozen water infrastructure projects in at least 12 counties. The awards represented a mix of loans and grants. Some of the grants were substantial, including nearly $3.7 million to help upgrade a wastewater treatment plant in Indiana County, $622,000 to buy a water recycling jet vacuum truck in Lycoming County and nearly $4 million to extend sewer service in Butler County.
The awards were made through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, which says its funding consists “primarily of lowinterest loans (with some grant funding available) to pay for costs associated with design, engineering, and construction of public or private owned drinking water or wastewater systems” and other projects.
Clairton officials should pick up the phone and tell Harrisburg they want some money for Century Townhomes. Better yet, the state should call Clairton and offer a hand.