Berks County Water & Sewer Association

11/30/2022

On behalf of Muhlenberg Township, we would like to apologize for the lack of communication regarding the recent Water Main Break that impacted so much of our community. As you know these things happen, however the lack of communication with our residents and business owners was not acceptable. As you may or may not know the Muhlenberg Township Authority is ultimately responsible for our Water and Sewer system and are a separate entity from the Township. The MTA Board is appointed by the Commissioners and has the responsibility of handling these situations including the communication. We believe all of our residents understand these things happen, however not communicating properly is completely unacceptable and the Township will consider our options to ensure this does not happen again in the future.

The MTA Board meets at 7PM on December 8th at their facility at 3711 Oak St. in Temple. Please attend that meeting if you wish to discuss.

04/07/2022

10/20/2020

Free Webinar!

04/17/2020

The Bureau of Safe Drinking Water has moved all of its COVID-19 guidance for public water systems and labs to a BSDW COVID-19 webpage.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Public Water Systems (PWSs) have a heightened responsibility to protect public health.  Access to clean water for drinking and handwashing is critical during this situation.  PWSs need to continue to manage and operate their facilities in a manner that is safe and that ...

04/01/2020

EPA Encourages Americans to Only Flush Toilet Paper

Contact Information: EPA Press Office ([email protected])

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging all Americans to only flush toilet paper, not disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items that should be disposed of in the trash. Flushing only toilet paper helps ensure that the toilets, plumbing, sewer systems and septic systems will continue working properly to safely manage our nation’s wastewater. While EPA encourages disinfecting your environment to prevent the spread of COVID-19, never flush disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items. These easy steps will keep surfaces disinfected and wastewater management systems working for all Americans.
Preventable toilet and sewer backups can pose a threat to human health and present an extra challenge to our water utilities and their workforce. Flushing anything other than toilet paper, including disinfecting wipes, can damage internal plumbing, local sewer systems and septic systems. Fixing these backups is costly and takes time and resources away from ensuring that wastewater management systems are otherwise working properly. EPA thanks wastewater utilities and their workforce for their courageous efforts at a time when resources may be stretched thin. Having fully operational wastewater services is critical to containing COVID-19 and protecting Americans from other public health risks. Our nation’s wastewater employees are everyday heroes who are on the frontline of protecting human health and the environment every single day.
For more information, see https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus.

03/27/2020

American Water Works Association
Alert! Utility Members

Public Affairs Advisory
Who: U.S. EPA and CDC
What: Additional coronavirus resources
When: Available now
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have added some helpful resources for utilities receiving questions about the relationship between COVID-19 and drinking water.

In a statement released by EPA yesterday, the agency said:

“There is no higher priority for EPA than protecting the health and safety of Americans. EPA is providing this important information about COVID-19 as it relates to drinking water and wastewater to provide clarity to the public. The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies. Based on current evidence, the risk to water supplies is low. Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.

“EPA has established regulations with treatment requirements for public water systems that prevent waterborne pathogens such as viruses from contaminating drinking water and wastewater. COVID-19 is a type of virus that is particularly susceptible to disinfection and standard treatment and disinfectant processes are expected to be effective.”

The EPA has a new Q&A available that answers the following questions:

Is drinking tap water safe?
Do I need to boil my drinking water?
Is tap water safe to use for hand washing?
What should I do If I’m concerned about my drinking water?
Do I need to buy bottled water or store drinking water?
What is EPA’s role in ensuring drinking water remains safe?
Can I get COVID-19 from wastewater or sewage?
Do wastewater treatment plants treat COVID-19?
Will my septic system treat COVID-19?

https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-drinking-water-and-wastewater

The CDC has also added a section on water transmission and COVID-19. It begins with the question:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html

“Can the COVID-19 virus spread through drinking water?

The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water. Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.”

AWWA launched a coronavirus resource page, which is updated as new information becomes available.

https://www.awwa.org/Resources-Tools/Resource-Topics/Coronavirus

Questions should be directed to AWWA's federal relations manager, Kevin Morley at [email protected].

AWWA Delivers Valuable Member Benefits
Members receive news and information, periodicals and Section membership, as well as discounts on technical resources, conferences and other online learning opportunities. Learn more.

Comments or questions? Email [email protected].
We welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Read information and frequent questions related to COVID-19 and drinking water and wastewater.

01/16/2019

Reminder!!!!
Berks County Water & Sewer Association Meeting
Thursday January 17th at 8 AM
Location is Roessner Hall at Albright College

12/06/2018

Berks County Water and Sewer Association final meeting of the year. Please join us for a Holiday Breakfast!

09/21/2018

The Future of Firefighting in Berks County

09/18/2018

Join us on September 25th for a presentation: Everything you wanted to know about PennDOT Funding

To register please visit www.albright.edu/localgov

09/13/2018

To register for "The Future of Firefighting in Berks County" please visit www.albright.edu/localgov.