COVID-19 didn’t prevent Pennsylvania American Water from investing $400 million state-wide — and $1.5 million in Warren County — in its systems in 2020.

“Pennsylvania American Water announced today its end-of-year investment total and system improvement recap for 2020,” according to External Affairs Manager for Western PA Gary Lobaugh. “In just 12 months, the company invested $400 million to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure across the Commonwealth — delivering on its significant capital investment plan despite the COVID-19 public health emergency.”

“The investment includes $1.5 million invested in Warren County, including replacing approximately 3,600 of aging water main,” Lobaugh said. “The company has invested approximately $6 million alone in our Warren County system since 2017, and installed approximately 1.5 miles of new water main to improve service and reliability.”

“Our goal at Pennsylvania American Water is to provide safe, reliable, environmentally responsible water and wastewater service to the 2.4 million Pennsylvanians who rely on us,” President Mike Doran said. “From source to tap and back to the source again, our team of professionals works hard to maintain and improve our facilities to keep them operating efficiently, meeting regulatory standards and delivering high quality water and wastewater service. I am so proud of our team for achieving these results while operating under new protocols to protect the health and safety of each other and our customers during this unprecedented year.”

The investment in infrastructure includes maintenance and upgrades to treatment plants, wells, tanks, pump stations, pipes, valves, fire hydrants and metering equipment to sustain current operations while supporting resiliency for the future, Lobaugh said.

The company provides an infrastructure upgrade map at paamwaterinvests.com.

“Pennsylvania American Water customers can see how the company put their monthly bills to work in 2020,” Lobaugh said. “This web-based user-friendly map provides public transparency to how the company is investing in water main replacement projects throughout its service area as part of its overall system improvements.”

“Not only are these investments critical to the public’s health and safety, but they also support the economic health of the communities we serve,” Doran said. “Economic impact studies show that for every $1 million invested in water infrastructure, more than 15 total jobs are generated throughout the economy, which means our investment in 2020 alone supported more than 6,200 jobs across the Commonwealth amidst a global pandemic.”