PRINTER'S NO. 584
No. 525 Session of 1985
INTRODUCED BY GEIST, D. R. WRIGHT, HAYES, BOWSER, FARGO,
STEWART, HERMAN, MERRY, PETRARCA, G. M. SNYDER, McVERRY,
SEMMEL, REINARD, LLOYD, DORR, RYBAK, LASHINGER, AFFLERBACH,
ROBBINS, OLASZ AND DAWIDA, FEBRUARY 27, 1985
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 27, 1985
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of July 18, 1957 (P.L.1006, No.446), entitled
2 "A supplement to the act of May 2, 1945 (P.L.382, No.164),
3 entitled 'An act providing for the incorporation as bodies
4 corporate and politic of 'Authorities' for municipalities,
5 counties and townships; prescribing the rights, powers and
6 duties of such Authorities heretofore or hereafter
7 incorporated; authorizing such Authorities to acquire,
8 construct, improve, maintain and operate projects, and to
9 borrow money and issue bonds therefor; providing for the
10 payment of such bonds, and prescribing the rights of the
11 holders thereof; conferring the right of eminent domain on
12 such Authorities; authorizing such Authorities to enter into
13 contracts with and to accept grants from the Federal
14 Government or any agency thereof; and conferring exclusive
15 jurisdiction on certain courts over rates,' granting certain
16 powers to Authorities organized by a county or counties and
17 engaged solely in the construction or acquisition and
18 operation of water works, water supply works or water
19 distribution systems with respect to the life of such
20 Authorities, the issuance of bonds, the power of eminent
21 domain, the laying of mains, the relocation and vacation of
22 roads, the abatement of certain nuisances, the supplying of
23 water to the public, and conferring additional powers on the
24 Secretary of Highways, municipalities, the courts of quarter
25 sessions, and courts of common pleas, with respect to such
26 Authorities," making provision for public water service
27 recipients to tap into public water service for the purpose
28 of providing a sufficient water supply for the operation of
29 residential groundwater heat pumps.
30 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
1 hereby enacts as follows:
2 Section 1. Section 1 of the act of July 18, 1957 (P.L.1006,
3 No.446), entitled "A supplement to the act of May 2, 1945
4 (P.L.382, No.164), entitled 'An act providing for the
5 incorporation as bodies corporate and politic of 'Authorities'
6 for municipalities, counties and townships; prescribing the
7 rights, powers and duties of such Authorities heretofore or
8 hereafter incorporated; authorizing such Authorities to acquire,
9 construct, improve, maintain and operate projects, and to borrow
10 money and issue bonds therefor; providing for the payment of
11 such bonds, and prescribing the rights of the holders thereof;
12 conferring the right of eminent domain on such Authorities;
13 authorizing such Authorities to enter into contracts with and to
14 accept grants from the Federal Government or any agency thereof;
15 and conferring exclusive jurisdiction on certain courts over
16 rates,' granting certain powers to Authorities organized by a
17 county or counties and engaged solely in the construction or
18 acquisition and operation of water works, water supply works or
19 water distribution systems with respect to the life of such
20 Authorities, the issuance of bonds, the power of eminent domain,
21 the laying of mains, the relocation and vacation of roads, the
22 abatement of certain nuisances, the supplying of water to the
23 public, and conferring additional powers on the Secretary of
24 Highways, municipalities, the courts of quarter sessions, and
25 courts of common pleas, with respect to such Authorities," is
26 amended to read:
27 Section 1. As used in this act:
28 (1) "Water supply business" means the acquiring, holding,
29 constructing, improving, maintaining and operating, owning,
30 leasing either in the capacity of lessor or lessee, of
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1 waterworks, water supply works or water distribution systems.
2 (2) "County Water Supply Authority" means an Authority which
3 becomes such under the procedures set forth in section 2 of this
4 act.
5 (3) "Residential groundwater heat pump" means a mechanical
6 system designed to utilize the natural heat of the earth by
7 extracting the heat energy in groundwater to provide residential
8 heating, and by extracting the heat from the air and dissipating
9 it into the groundwater to provide residential cooling
10 including, but not limited to, such components as water-to-
11 refrigerant heat exchanger, refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger
12 refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger and refrigerant compressor.
13 (4) "Groundwater" means water from aquifers, lakes, wells
14 and any other occurrences of water in and under the ground,
15 whether percolating or otherwise, located on the residential
16 property, and from water privately distributed or municipally
17 distributed water systems.
18 [(3)] (5) All other terms defined in the act to which this
19 act is a supplement shall have the meanings therein set forth.
20 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
21 Section 14.1. (A) Every County Water Supply Authority
22 organized by a county or counties, which is engaged solely in
23 the water supply business, may permit the tapping of a water
24 pipeline for the purpose of providing a sufficient water supply
25 for the operation of residential groundwater heat pumps
26 utilizing a closed-loop system.
27 (B) Every Authority shall charge a one-time tapping fee, not
28 to exceed the normal tap fee for the cost of water service,
29 whenever the owner of any such groundwater heat pump connects
30 such heat pump with a water pipeline. The one-time tapping fee
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1 shall constitute the extent of the charges and fees and there
2 shall be no other extraordinary charges and fees. Accordingly,
3 the Authority shall not fix, charge or collect any rates or
4 other charges for the supply of water to the groundwater heat
5 pump system.
6 (C) The Authority shall have the unconditional right, at any
7 reasonable time, to inspect the groundwater heat pump
8 connections to the water system to insure the exclusive use of
9 the public water for supply to the groundwater heat pump system.
10 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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