17607_PMAA_Authority_June_2024

municipalauthorities.org | 55 S enator C asey : $1.5M W ill H elp E nsure W ater S ervice in B radford By Jim Eckstrom, Bradford Era As a U.S. Senator, Bob Casey is used to making appearances in towns and greeting local officials in celebration of federal funds he helped secure for economic development or civic improvements. But Casey said occasions like Tuesday in Bradford, when city and McKean County officials were on hand for the formal announcement of a $1.5 million federal grant for the Bradford City Water Authority to rehabilitate its 24-inch transmission main, are often what he enjoys the most. The project will upgrade a line that was installed in 1955 with new gate valves meant to ensure that the catastrophic rupture of February 23, 2015, which affected water service for days in Bradford, won't have the same prolonged negative impact on households and businesses. Casey speaking on the hillside overlooking the 3.5 million gallon Reservoir No. 4 at the end of Prospect Street, indicated that the funding is meant to ensure something as fundamental as families being able to turn on water taps in their homes. “I know some people gathered here today... actually did the work” to repair that 2015 rupture, “and they understand what a million and a half dollars will mean for this project and what it means for the people of Bradford and what it means for those who rely upon clean drinking water,” he said. The senator noted a state constitutional amendment adopted in 1971 simply slates: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and aesthetic values of the environment.” With that passage in mind, Casey said projects like the Bradford main water line improvements make the most sense when requests for funding from city and county leaders come to Washington. He noted that he teamed with fellow U.S. Senator John Fetterman and U.S. Representative Glenn Thompson, to usher the grant request through the review process. U.S. Senator Bob Casey meets an employee of the Bradford City Water Authority Tuesday near Reservoir No. 4 off Pros- pect Street. Casey was in town for the formal announcement of a $1.5 million grant for water main improvements. Steve Disney (left), Executive Director of the Bradford City Water Authority, discusses planned water main improvements that will be completed with a $1.5 million federal grant. From right is Mayor Tom Riel and U.S. Senator Bob Casey. Continued on page 66.