Don’t Let the New PADEP Water System Fees Bust Your Budget

Posted by Curt Tran on Monday, November 5, 2018

Increasing Water Fees Graphic

On August 18, 2018 new Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) fees went into effect for public water suppliers in PA. This comes as no surprise, as we’d heard these funds were critical for the PADEP to eliminate a $7.5 million shortfall in their budget.

Our first experience with the new fees occurred last month, paying a $50 fee for a Public Water Supply (PWS) construction closeout inspection. The higher fees apply to minor and major construction permits, as well as feasibility studies, and are based on a sliding scale for the size of the population served.

In additional to the amended permit fees, starting January 2019, PWS owners will need to budget for new annual fees of $250 to $40,000 per year, based on their population served. More importantly, these fees will be charged for each PWS ID number that a water system runs, so make sure your 2019 budget includes funds for these new fees.

Amended & New Fees:

Proposed Community Water System Annual Fees

Population Served Fee
25 - 100 $250
101 - 500 $500
501 - 1,000 $1,000
1,001 - 2,000 $2,000
2,001 - 3,300 $4,000
3,301 - 5,000 $6,500
5,001 - 10,000 $10,000
10,001 - 25,000 $20,000
25,001 - 50,000 $25,000
50,001 - 75,000 $30,000
75,001 - 100,000 $35,000
100,001 + $40,000

Major Construction Application Permits

Population Served Fee
25 - 100 $300
101 - 500 $600
501 - 3,300 $1,000
3,301 - 10,000 $2,500
10,001 - 50,000 $5,000
50,001 - 100,000 $7,500
100,001 + $10,000

Minor Construction Application Permits

Population Served Fee
25 - 100 $100
101 - 500 $250
501 - 3,300 $500
3,301 - 10,000 $750
10,001 - 50,000 $1,000
50,001 - 100,000 $2,500
100,001 + $5,000
Transfer Permit $100
Operation Permit $50
Emergency Permit $100
NCWS 4-Log Permit $50
Noncommunity Water System Application for Approval $50

Feasibility Studies

Population Served Fee
25 - 100 $300
101 - 500 $600
501 - 3,300 $1,000
3,301 - 10,000 $2,500
10,001 - 50,000 $5,000
50,001 - 100,000 $7,500
100,001 + $10,000

Waiver Fees

Waiver Fee
VOC Use Waiver $100
SOC Use Waiver $100
SOC Susceptibility $300
IOC Waiver $100
Renewal applications with no changes in land uses or potential sources of contamination $50

Don't Forget:

Stay on top of new PADEP rules and regulations. This includes the changes to Chapter 109, and meeting various deadlines, like:

  • Now – Sampling and analysis for compliance monitoring must be performed in accordance with US EPA approved Method 334.0. Both the analysts and the equipment must be compliant.
  • October 29, 2018 – Submit Sample Siting Plan for community water systems with filtration of surface water (SW) or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water (GUDI) sources or 4-log disinfection of GW sources.
  • April 29, 2019 – Increases to minimum allowed disinfectant residual measurements.
  • April 29, 2019 – Submit Nitrification Control Plan for water systems using chloramines or purchasing water treated with chloramines.

Authored by:

Curt Tran Photo

Curt Tran

project manager

contact request a free evaluation

join enews


Categories: Municipal Infrastructure

Tagged: Potable Water  |  Budgeting & Funding  |  Regulations

Add a Comment

Comments
That is one handy table.
Posted by doug on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 10:53 AM
Top