Greater Johnstown Water Authority to increase noncompliance sewer fee

Dave Sutor, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·1 min read

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The fine for properties in Johnstown and Westmont that are noncompliant with Greater Johnstown Water Authority’s requirement to have all private sewer laterals pressure tested will increase from $50 to $75 per month on July 1.

The plan to raise the penalty has been known since early last year, even before the authority upped the fee to $50 on July 1, 2023.

GJWA is under a consent order from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to bring all flows below 625 gallons per day per equivalent dwelling unit. Westmont needs to be under the target by Dec. 31, 2026. Johnstown’s deadline is Dec. 31 of this year, although the authority has asked DEP for an extension.

“The reason behind (the increased fee) is we still have the consent order that we have to meet,” Michael Kerr, the authority’s general manager, said.

All total, approximately 3,300 out of 11,200 properties in Johnstown and Westmont are noncompliant.