Press Release

PUC Reminds Consumers About July 20 Telephonic Public Input Hearing on Towamencin Township Request to Provide Wastewater Service in Portions of Montgomery County

Published on 7/11/2023

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Application by Towamencin Township Also Seeks PUC Permission to Abandon Service Upon Closing of a Separately Proposed Acquisition by the Pennsylvania American Water Company

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is reminding consumers about  a July 20 telephonic public hearing to gather input from concerned parties about a request filed by Towamencin Township to offer, furnish, render and supply wastewater service to the public in certain portions of Worcester Township, Lower Salford Township, Franconia Township and Lansdale Borough, all in Montgomery County.

The Towamencin Township application also seeks PUC permission to abandon this wastewater service in the future, upon the closing of a proposed acquisition of the system by the Pennsylvania American Water Company – which is being addressed in a separate proceeding before the PUC.

The deadline to register for this hearing is 12 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

PUC Public Input Hearing

The telephonic public input hearing is scheduled for the following date and time:

• Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 6 p.m.

PUC Administrative Law Judge Darlene D. Heep will preside over the hearing.

Signing Up for the Public Input Hearings

To testify at a telephonic public input hearing, you must pre-register by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.  Interested persons can pre-register by email to the presiding officer’s legal assistant, Shalea Delvillar, at sdelvillar@pa.gov or by phone at 215-560-2105 (leave a message) and provide:

• Your first and last name.
• The date and time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
• The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
• A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact you.
• Your email address if you have one.
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.

If you do not pre-register and provide the information listed above, you may not be able to testify.  Individuals will testify in the order in which they pre-register.   

NOTE:  If you do not wish to testify but want to listen to the public input hearing(s), please contact the presiding officer’s legal assistant, Shalea Delivillar, to obtain the call-in information (same contact information as listed above) and provide your name and time(s) you want to listen to the public input hearing(s). 

Again, the deadline for signing up for this public input hearing is Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at 12 p.m. 

Interpreters and Assistance Registering

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible.  If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter.  If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present. 

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide all the information listed above.  Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but all the information listed above is needed for each individual testifying. 

Relay service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 800-654-5988.

Exhibits

If you intend to offer exhibits at the public input hearing, please email your proposed exhibit(s) to the presiding officer at  sdelvillar@pa.gov.  In your email, you must copy all individuals listed in the “full-service list” in the attached parties’ list.  Failure to comply with these instructions may result in you not being allowed to present your proposed exhibit(s).  Proposed video evidence must be submitted in an mp4 format and cannot exceed 2MB.  Proposed video evidence that does not meet these criteria will not be permitted. 

Exhibits must be received by July 19, 2023.

NOTE:  Individuals representing themselves are not required to be represented by an attorney.  All others, including corporations, partnerships, associations, trusts, governmental agencies or subdivision, must be represented by an attorney.  An attorney representing you should file a Notice of Appearance before the scheduled hearing date.

Offering Testimony at a Public Input Hearing

The PUC offers tips on how to participate in a public input hearing, including:

• Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.
• Any formal testimony that is offered during the hearing will become part of the record on which the PUC will issue its final decision.
• Understand that parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.
  
  

Towamencin Township Request

Towamencin Township is seeking a PUC Certificate of Public Convenience to offer, furnish, render, and supply Wastewater Service to the public in certain portions of Worcester Township, Lower Salford Township, Franconia Township and Lansdale Borough, all located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

The Towamencin Township application also seeks PUC permission to abandon this wastewater service in the future, upon the closing of a proposed acquisition of the system by the Pennsylvania American Water Company – which is being addressed in a separate proceeding before the PUC.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket Nos.: 
A-2023-3040661
A-2023-3339900

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov