DEP Orders Water Supplier to Stop Construction
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ordered Warwick Waterworks Inc. to halt construction or modification work to a community water supply that it has been building to serve new residential developments in St. Peter’s Village, Chester County, according to a Dec. 22 press release.
The company, which has held a water supply permit since 1999, applied for a permit in early May that would have authorized construction of a 153,000-gallon water storage tank to supply drinking water to future residents of The Falls and Iron Ridge developments.
DEP learned in July that construction of the water tank had been completed before the department approved the permit application.
Following this discovery, DEP issued a violation to Warwick Waterworks and in August met with its principals to discuss the need for compliance with the department’s permitting process. The parties met on a second occasion to address technical deficiencies in the application.
Warwick Waterworks submitted an amended water supply construction permit application to DEP on Nov. 4. That application is still undergoing technical review by the department; however, the company has continued to build out a distribution system for the new housing developments.
“Warwick has made significant modifications to its existing system, including piping to new wells and a new control building site. Their actions constitute willful disregard of the commonwealth’s permitting process,” said DEP Southeast Regional Director Joseph A. Feola.
The order directs the company to cease further substantial modifications to its water system and to not operate those portions that have already been substantially modified.