Press Release

Public Input Hearings Scheduled on Proposed Acquisition of Beaver Falls Wastewater System by Aqua Pennsylvania

Published on 2/7/2025

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

In-Person and Telephonic Hearings Set to Gather Public Input from Beaver Falls Residents and Businesses along with Other Concerned Parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has scheduled a series of late-February in-person and telephonic hearings to gather public input on the proposal by Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater (Aqua) to acquire the wastewater collection and treatment system owned by the City of Beaver Falls, Beaver County. 

The Beaver Falls wastewater system provides service to approximately 3,200 residential, commercial, industrial, and public customers within the City of Beaver Falls. Additionally, the system provides transmission and treatment services for several nearby municipalities, including Big Beaver Borough, West Mayfield Borough, White Township, North Sewickley Township, Eastvale Borough, Patterson Township, and Patterson Heights Borough.

PUC In-Person Public Input Hearings

In-person public input hearings for the proposed acquisition are scheduled for the following:

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

• The first in-person hearing will begin at 1 p.m.
• The second in-person hearing will begin at 6 p.m.

Both hearings will be held at the following location:

• City of Beaver Falls (Meeting Room)
  715 15th Street
  Beaver Falls, PA 15010

PUC Administrative Law Judge Katrina L Dunderdale will preside over the 1 p.m. in-person hearing and Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge Mark A. Hoyer will preside over the 6 p.m. in-person hearing.

NOTE: Pre-registration is not required for the in-person hearings. A sign-up sheet will be available at the hearing location.

PUC Telephonic Public Input Hearings

Telephonic public input hearings are scheduled for the following:

Thursday, February 20, 2025

• Telephonic hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
• Telephonic hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

NOTE: Pre-registration for the telephonic hearings is encouraged.

Signing Up for the Telephonic Public Input Hearings

If you wish to testify at the telephonic public input hearing, you are encouraged to pre-register with the administrative law judge by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.

To pre-register, please email the judges’ legal assistant, Christina M. Biggica, at cbiggica@pa.gov, or call the legal assistant’s office at 717-783-5453, and provide the following:

• Your first and last name.
• The telephone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
• A phone number where you can be reached if there is a need to contact you.
• Your email address, if you have one.

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 the same household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but they will need to provide the requested information for each individual planning to testify.

Requests for Interpreters

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible.  If you register too close to the hearing date, there may not be enough time to arrange for an interpreter. Every reasonable effort will be made to have an interpreter present. 

The relay service number for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing is 711.


Hearing Exhibits

If you have any hearing exhibits to which you will refer during a hearing, please email them to the Presiding Officer, at fbrady@pa.gov.  The PUC Judge will forward your exhibits to all the parties. Exhibits for the public input hearing must be received by the PUC Judge by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20, 2025. 
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.
  
  

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 X (formerly 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 No.: A-2022-3033138

Contact:

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