EXETER, Pa. — Millions in federal funding is coming to a Luzerne County borough to improve aging infrastructure.
Officials with the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority say this project is much needed as the current lines are old and need a lot of work.
On Wednesday morning, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright's office announced Exeter will get an $8.7 million loan to improve the wastewater and sewer systems.
"This project is an example of the Biden administration's goal of assisting smaller communities throughout the country to make much-needed but long-postponed investments to local infrastructure," said Bob Morgan, state director of USDA rural development.
"This is a story that is replicated all over northeastern Pennsylvania. We haven't been able to invest in our infrastructure, and that extends to the most basic things like storm sewers and sanitary sewers," said Rep. Matt Cartwright, (D) 8th District.
The focus is on the system on Schooley and Wyoming Avenue to separate the sanitary wastewater and stormwater. Currently, the lines are overworked, which causes backup problems for thousands of homes and businesses.
Newswatch 16 found crews checking out a blockage on Wyoming Avenue.
"The current system is 70 to 100 years old. It's long past its life span," said John Morgan, a Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority board member. "There are constant breakdowns in the system. It's a combined system, so we are going to separate it from stormwater and sewer. The sewer will go to the sewage treatment plant, and it will be great for the environment."
Borough officials say the upgrades are expected to help more than 5,000 homes and businesses within the borough after years of dealing with backup issues.
"People are getting backups into their businesses, apartments. There are a lot of restaurants in Wyoming Avenue and on the corridor here," Morgan said.
"It's going to be an impact on their quality of life and on their pocketbooks because there is no upfront cost to the residents of Exeter to get this done," Rep. Cartwright added.
The borough also received a $1 million grant from the state.
Construction is set to begin in the spring.