EPA Mid-Atlantic administrator tours wastewater and infrastructure projects in Pennsylvania

U.S. EPA Mid-Atlantic Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey completed a multi-day visit to Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley, highlighting wastewater upgrades, stormwater management and broader environmental infrastructure investments across the region.

In Throop, she met with the Lackawanna River Basin Sewer Authority to discuss watershed-wide wastewater treatment, acid mine drainage reduction and PFAS monitoring efforts. The authority manages treatment and discharge to the Lackawanna River under state and federal oversight and is working with partners to address emerging contaminants.

Van Blarcom-Lackey also toured Pennsylvania American Water’s Scranton wastewater treatment plant, which serves roughly 30,000 customers. The facility has undertaken significant upgrades under a 2013 EPA consent decree and long-term control plan to reduce combined sewer overflows to the Lackawanna River. Discussions focused on stormwater management strategies, operational improvements and investments aimed at reducing both CSOs and SSOs.

“Partnership collaboration is how we deliver environmental progress,” Van Blarcom-Lackey said in a press release. “It’s critical that we learn from local leaders and agency partners to identify where EPA’s tools and technical support can help accelerate results.”

The visit also included stops at brownfields restoration, landfill methane capture and energy generation sites, underscoring EPA’s emphasis on coordinated efforts to protect water quality while supporting regional economic growth.