BCRA Water Treatment Plant

In the 1990’s, the Authority spent over $6 million to drill and develop two high production wells and to upgrade its existing water treatment plant.

On average, in 2011 the water treatment facilities produced approximately 2.4 million gallons of water per day for its customers. This represents about 44% of the Authority’s permitted capacity of 5.38 million gallons per day (mgd). 2011 daily max was 3,311,190.

The water comes from two sources. Ground water, which is pumped from two production wells (each well is capable of pumping 1,000 gallons per minute) Water from the Brodhead Creek, a surface water source, is treated ina conventional treatmetn plant before bieng pumped to customers.

 The surface water source goes through an extensive treatment process involving chemical additions, mixing, flocculation, sedimentation and filtration prior to being blended with the well water. Once blended, the water is checked for final chlorine levels and the pH is adjusted in order to prevent corrosion of piping materials in the distribution system. This finished water is now ready to be utilized by our customers.

While the entire system is computer operated and monitored, three full time state certified water treatment plant operators are responsible for optimum production procedures and to ensure the highest quality drinking water possible for the Authority’s customers.Through a series of computer monitored instruments, automatic alarm systems for critical functions and an autodialing pager system, the operators are able to respond to any emergencies or changes in the treatment process 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

In its efforts to ensure total compliance with all state (PADEP) and federal (USEPA) regulations the Brodhead Creek Regional Authority spends over $25,000 per year to have an outside independent laboratory test its water. Annually, a Water Quality Report is produced and mailed to all of its customers. Additionally, the Brodhead Creek Regional Authority has made a commitment to its customers to go above and beyond state and federal regulations by joining AWWA’s Partnership for Safe Water requiring even higher operating and reporting standards to be met.

BCRA Receives Award from DEP

On December 3, 2003 at a regular meeting of the Stroudsburg Municipal Authority Board, William Manner of the Department of Environmental Protection presented the Authority with a plaque recognizing its achievement for completing the Third Phase of the "Partnership for Safe Water" program.

Mr. Manner congratulated the Board, its Manager and water plant operators for their dedication and commitment to this program and for the successful completion of the Third Phase.

Mr. Manner explained that the Stroudsburg Municipal Authority, (now known as Brodhead Creek Regional Authority) recently completed the third phase of the Partnership for Safe Water program, a voluntary effort to provide safe drinking water. Presently, the authority provides drinking water service to 25,000 people through approximately 5,100 residential, commercial and industrial connections. The Authority is one of only a handful of water systems to complete this phase of the Partnership in Pennsylvania. The Authority serves the Borough of Stroudsburg, and the Townships of Stroud, Smithfield, Hamilton and Pocono.

The Partnership for Safe Water is made up of DEP, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Section American Water Works Association (PA-AWWA) and other drinking water organizations. Its goal is to implement preventative measures that are based on optimizing treatment plant performance.

Phase III culminates in a detailed, peer-reviewed report that summarizes the rigorous self-assessment portion of the program. This phase is specifically geared toward identifying less-than-optimal treatment processes and making the necessary corrections so that treatment processes, operations and management maximize the facility’s ability to produce the safest water possible. Correcting these weaknesses helps prevent waterborne disease outbreaks from pathogenic organisms like Cryptosporidium and Giardia. By completing this phase of the program, the BCRA is working to provide an additional measure of protection to drinking water consumers.

Currently, 117 surface water treatment plants serving about 5.4 million people are now involved in Pennsylvania’s Partnership program.

Kenneth Brown, the Manager commented, "that by completing the Third Phase of the Partnership for Safe Water program the Authority continues its commitment to its customers to operate at a level more stringent then current EPA and DEP regulations require in order to provide the safest water possible. He thanked the Board for its support and the Authority’s employees for their hard work and dedication to the water profession.

For more information you can call the Brodhead Creek Regional Authority at 570-421-3232 or check out the DEP Website (keyword: "DEP filtration).

Water Treatment Plant FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

Q – Why do water companies add chlorine to water?

A – Water treatment plants large and small add chlorine to your water supply because it is a disinfectant.  A disinfectant in a treatment plant is used to kill bacteria found in the water.  This disinfectant ensures that the water is free from bacteria to the customer’s facility.  Chlorine has been used for many years to treat water with little or no side effects.  We use chlorine because of availability, safety and known chemical advantages to our treatment process.  Our water is treated with such a low dose that it will not affect humans, plants or animals (direct use in aquariums is the one exception).  However, even in small quantities some customers may detect an odor.

Q – What is Conventional Filtration and what does it do?

A – Conventional Filtration is a process used to remove pathogens and dirt by chemical and mechanical processes.  We add chemicals to bind dirt, debris and pathogens up in a chemical “Floc” that is removed in a later process.  It takes up to four hours to move water through this treatment process.

Q – Why does the BCRA sell water to bulk water haulers for the filling of swimming pools and for producing bottled water?

A – The BCRA is a water authority. It receives no tax money and operates only on the revenues it receives from the sale of water and hook-up fees from new customers. The Authority is currently permitted to produce 5,380,000 gallons of water per day. However, in 2005 our average daily rate was only 2,100,000 gallons per day or 39% of our capacity. By expanding its customer base, the Authority is able to generate income which allows it to undertake capital projects, and still lower rates to its customers. As you can see, the Authority has sufficient capacity for many years of growth.
     The Authority treats these firms like any other customer in its system. However, in the event of an emergency, this type of customer would be the first to have its service limited or terminated.

Q – Why does the BCRA continue to sell water to bulk water haulers during times of drought, especially the Perrier bottled water company?

A – Again, as in the previous answer you need to remember they are a customer of the Authority. The state’s Drought Emergency regulations banned non-essential water uses, and asked for an overall 15% reduction. The declaration emphasizes the need to minimize the impact of the drought on businesses in the state.

The bottled water business was not considered a non-essential use and since the Authority’s water sources remained in excellent condition during the drought, the Authority continued to supply its customers.

However, where the general customer base of the BCRA only reduced its water usage by 8%, Perrier and other bulk water haulers were required to reduce their loadings by the full 15%.

Q - What can I do to help protect our water supply?

A - Promptly contact us in the event you witness anything where a contaminant is released onto the ground or streams, such as gasoline or oil in a truck crash, or a storage container leaking. These contaminants may be washed into or near streams or into storm drains leading to them.  (421-3232)

For Billing and useage related FAQs, please see Billing

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last updated December 9, 2006