Service Area

The Brush Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is a secondary treatment facility using primary clarification, fine bubble aeration, final clarification, and chlorine disinfection to treat the incoming wastewater flows.

The WWTP was designed for an average daily flow of 4.4 mgd and a peak flow of 15 mgd. It currently operates at an average daily flow of approximately 4.04 mgd.

The treated effluent is discharged into Brush Creek through Outfall 001 which is near a portion of Brush Creek which is currently affected by acid mine drainage. Brush Creek is a tributary of Turtle Creek, which eventually enters the Monongahela River.

The service area for the Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority (WWMA) includes the boroughs of Irwin, Manor, and North Irwin and portions of the townships of North Huntingdon, Penn, and Hempfield that are tributary to the WWMA interceptor sewers and waste water treatment plant (WWTP). The Ardara/Cavettsville area is tributary to the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) system.

The total service area encompasses approximately 12,500 acres in the western portion of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Considerable amounts of residential, commercial, and light industrial development, coupled with ever increasing residential development and large tracts of undeveloped land, are found throughout the service area. Most of the new development within the service area has been in North Huntingdon and Penn Townships, with minor growth within a small area in Hempfield Township and along the Route 30 corridor in Irwin Borough. The boroughs of Irwin, Manor, and North Irwin are older communities with little build-out potential.

The table below summarizes the number of equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) within each of the member municipalities from 2003 through 2007. This table also shows the WWTP design populations and the EDUs for each of the municipalities.

Area	Plant Design Pop.	Plant Design EDUs	Total EDUs-2005	Total EDUs-2006	Total EDUs-2007	Total EDUs-2008	Total EDUs-2009
Hempfield	700	200	332	305	323	341	345
Irwin	5,000	2,700	2,631	2,625	2,649	2,667	2,629
Manor	2,500	714	1,193	1,228	1,242	1,269	1,280
North Huntingdon-Brush Creek	20,000	5,714	6,040	6,041	6,156	6,244	6,326
North Huntingdon-Ardara System	20,000	5,714	286	286	286	286	286
North Irwin	1,300	371	403	399	401	401	402
Penn	9,300	2,657	4,802	4,826	4,439	4,642	4,564
Total	38,800	12,356	15,687	15,710	15,496	15,850	15,832

All member municipalities own and maintain their respective collector sewers and pump stations. The boroughs of Irwin and Manor are the only municipalities that have combined sewers. The combined flows from the two boroughs are controlled through the flow regulator chambers located at the point of connection at the WWMA interceptor sewer.

The Cavettsville/Ardara System is a small portion of the WWMA’s sewer system that conveys wastewater to the ALCOSAN sewage treatment system from a portion of North Huntingdon Township and Penn Township. This service area currently serves approximately 287 equivalent dwelling units located solely in North Huntingdon Township. The Cavettsville/Ardara System also includes the Ardara Pump Station, which serves the Village of Ardara, a small residential community located along Route 993 in North Huntingdon Township. WWMA services the community of Ardara, a small residential area of North Huntingdon Township. The Ardara Pump Station, force main, and interceptors are owned, operated, and maintained by WWMA. Collector sewers servicing the Ardara and Cavettsville areas are owned and maintained by the North Huntingdon Township Municipal Authority. Due to increased costs related to ALCOSAN’s Consent Decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP), and the Allegheny County Health Department; and WWMA’s Consent Order and Agreement with the PaDEP, a separate rate schedule for the Cavettsville/Ardara System was established on October 30, 2007 (refer to Resolution No. 2007-05).