SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock Municipal Authority is continuing work on several projects totaling about $16 million.

Paul Dickey, general manager of the authority, said construction on a new water treatment plant with a new water source on Hines Road began last fall and is expected to be done in August or September. It will cost $5 million.

“(It's) well on its way,” Dickey said.

Upgrades to the authority's wastewater treatment plant began in the spring. The project will include a new laboratory and operating building for staff members. It is expected to cost about $10.8 million.

“It's quite a project there,” Dickey said.

An evaluation of the plant showed the system was aging and can be overloaded during heavy rain, among other things. The plant was built in 1923 and was upgraded in 1964 and 1982.

The authority's new office building, located at 116 Crestview Road in Slippery Rock Township, will be finished in August.

The current office on Kelly Boulevard is owned by attorney Ron Coyer, whose practice also is in that building. Coyer wants to expand his practice into the space occupied by the authority and will end the authority's lease in August.

The building is in place and workers are finishing it up. It cost about $190,700.

“We think it's a pretty well-built building,” Dickey said.

The existing water treatment plant on Forrester Road will be refurbished with new electrical controls and a new computer system that will be compatible with the system in the new plant. Dickey said there is no budget yet, as the authority has not decided exactly what to do at the plant. There is no estimated construction start or completion date.

All of the projects were engineered by HRG Engineering of Cranberry Township. The work will be paid for with two long-term fixed interest rate loans.

On July 1, the rates for customers increased to $5.70 per 1,000 gallons of water and $6.50 per 1,000 gallons of sewage. The previous rates were $5.20 per 1,000 gallons of water and $6 per 1,000 gallons of sewage.

Dickey said the rate increase is to help pay back loans for the projects.

Additionally, Dickey said the authority also is looking into upgrading its billing system, potentially adding e-mail bills as an option, which would save the authority postage costs.

He said demand for electronic bills have been increasing and the number of people who come to the office to pay bills has been decreasing. He said paper bills still would be available.

Chuck Brochetti, an authority board member, said electronic billing will not begin right away. The authority still is working with the software company.

He said if 10 percent of authority customers sign up for the system, the authority will save $1,470 per year. If 15 percent sign up, the authority will save $2,205. If 20 percent sign up, the savings will be $2,940, and if 25 percent sign up, the savings will be $3,675.

Brochetti said it will not cost the authority anything to make this upgrade.

The authority has 1,750 water connections, with Slippery Rock University among them.

It serves customers in the borough and in part of Slippery Rock Township.