Capital Region Water launches $1.4B plan to modernize Harrisburg's water system
Capital Region Water started a $1.4 billion initiative to modernize its aging infrastructure and address environmental challenges in the greater Harrisburg area. The project focuses on upgrading the combined sewer system, which handles both rainwater and sewage but often becomes overwhelmed during heavy rainfall, leading to untreated sewage being discharged into the Susquehanna River.“It didn’t take decades to get to this point; it took over a century. So we need decades to fix the problem,” said Charlotte Katzenmoyer, CEO of Capital Region Water.The combined sewer system, a design common in older U.S. cities, spans 177 miles of piping and covers 3,000 acres, approximately 4.8 square miles. Since becoming an independent entity in 2013, Capital Region Water invested $200 million in upgrades and plans to spend an additional $1.4 billion over the next four decades.“Our proposal is 40 years. Over the next 40 years, we wish we could do it much sooner than that,” said Jess Rosentel, chief operations officer for Wastewater at Capital Region Water.One major component of the plan is the Energy Recovery Improvements Project, which converts solid sewage waste into renewable energy. Methane gas, a byproduct of sewage treatment, will be processed into natural gas in partnership with UGI Energy Services, generating energy equivalent to 2,000 gallons of diesel per day.“We are utilizing the methane byproduct of the treatment of these solids to an energy source, a renewable energy source,” Rosentel said.The project is expected to finish by the end of 2025 and generate $1 to $2 million annually in non-rate revenue, which will support customer assistance programs. Additionally, leftover waste is being used as fertilizer by 13 local farmers, further reducing environmental impact.“We should see somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 to $2 million of non-rate revenue, as a result of those sales, and that’s going to be a great benefit for our customers, to have that additional revenue available for our customer assistance program,” Rosentel said.Stormwater management is another critical focus of the initiative, aimed at preventing the sewer system from becoming overwhelmed. Sites like Cloverly Heights Park in South Harrisburg feature stormwater retention tanks and green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and porous surfaces, to capture and store rainwater before it enters the sewer system.“When we implement a project like this, we catch it before it goes into the inlets that go into our combined system,” said Claire Maulhardt, stormwater utility director for Capital Region Water.The park’s stormwater retention tanks cover 4.3 acres of land where rain can drain into its system. Covering one acre costs approximately $200,000, and the Cloverly Heights site alone costs over $800,000 to complete.“Our mission is that we’re environmental stewards of our water system. And we say from raindrop to river. Because we’re committed to ensuring that we are keeping it as clean as we possibly can, to the best of our ability,” Katzenmoyer said.When asked about the $1.4 billion cost, CRW said they are conscious of the wallets of the residents in the Greater Harrisburg area and will not drastically raise rates, unless an unforeseen cost increase forces them.”We’ve routinely made rate increases over the years, but we try to do it year after year so that we don’t have those rate spikes, that we don’t have a very large increase in rates at one time,” Katzenmoyer said.Capital Region Water has already covered 58 acres with stormwater management systems but aims to expand to 200 acres, requiring hundreds of additional sites like Cloverly Heights. The organization has committed $200 million through 2032 and plans to ensure future leadership continues these efforts.
Capital Region Water started a $1.4 billion initiative to modernize its aging infrastructure and address environmental challenges in the greater Harrisburg area. The project focuses on upgrading the combined sewer system, which handles both rainwater and sewage but often becomes overwhelmed during heavy rainfall, leading to untreated sewage being discharged into the Susquehanna River.
“It didn’t take decades to get to this point; it took over a century. So we need decades to fix the problem,” said Charlotte Katzenmoyer, CEO of Capital Region Water.
The combined sewer system, a design common in older U.S. cities, spans 177 miles of piping and covers 3,000 acres, approximately 4.8 square miles. Since becoming an independent entity in 2013, Capital Region Water invested $200 million in upgrades and plans to spend an additional $1.4 billion over the next four decades.
“Our proposal is 40 years. Over the next 40 years, we wish we could do it much sooner than that,” said Jess Rosentel, chief operations officer for Wastewater at Capital Region Water.
One major component of the plan is the Energy Recovery Improvements Project, which converts solid sewage waste into renewable energy. Methane gas, a byproduct of sewage treatment, will be processed into natural gas in partnership with UGI Energy Services, generating energy equivalent to 2,000 gallons of diesel per day.
“We are utilizing the methane byproduct of the treatment of these solids to an energy source, a renewable energy source,” Rosentel said.
The project is expected to finish by the end of 2025 and generate $1 to $2 million annually in non-rate revenue, which will support customer assistance programs. Additionally, leftover waste is being used as fertilizer by 13 local farmers, further reducing environmental impact.
“We should see somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 to $2 million of non-rate revenue, as a result of those sales, and that’s going to be a great benefit for our customers, to have that additional revenue available for our customer assistance program,” Rosentel said.
Stormwater management is another critical focus of the initiative, aimed at preventing the sewer system from becoming overwhelmed.
Sites like Cloverly Heights Park in South Harrisburg feature stormwater retention tanks and green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and porous surfaces, to capture and store rainwater before it enters the sewer system.
“When we implement a project like this, we catch it before it goes into the inlets that go into our combined system,” said Claire Maulhardt, stormwater utility director for Capital Region Water.
The park’s stormwater retention tanks cover 4.3 acres of land where rain can drain into its system. Covering one acre costs approximately $200,000, and the Cloverly Heights site alone costs over $800,000 to complete.
“Our mission is that we’re environmental stewards of our water system. And we say from raindrop to river. Because we’re committed to ensuring that we are keeping it as clean as we possibly can, to the best of our ability,” Katzenmoyer said.
When asked about the $1.4 billion cost, CRW said they are conscious of the wallets of the residents in the Greater Harrisburg area and will not drastically raise rates, unless an unforeseen cost increase forces them.
“We’ve routinely made rate increases over the years, but we try to do it year after year so that we don’t have those rate spikes, that we don’t have a very large increase in rates at one time,” Katzenmoyer said.
Capital Region Water has already covered 58 acres with stormwater management systems but aims to expand to 200 acres, requiring hundreds of additional sites like Cloverly Heights. The organization has committed $200 million through 2032 and plans to ensure future leadership continues these efforts.