tate Consumer Advocate Urges Emergency Action Against Rural Water Company After Years of Unreliable Service

In rural Centre County, Pennsylvania, the Rock Spring Water Company has faced criticism for providing unreliable water service to approximately 1,000 residents in Ferguson Township. Issues such as low water pressure, frequent outages, and prolonged boil water advisories have been ongoing for over a decade. A 2022 engineering report estimated that the system requires $13.5 million in repairs due to years of neglect.

In response to these persistent problems, the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) is urging state regulators to take emergency action against the company. The OCA has filed a request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to appoint a capable utility provider to manage Rock Spring’s operations temporarily. This move aims to protect customers from potential health and safety risks associated with the current water service.

The PUC has the authority to regulate essential utility services in the state, including water and wastewater services. In situations where a utility fails to provide safe and reliable service, the PUC can appoint a receiver to manage operations until a permanent solution is found.

Rock Spring Water Company has accumulated numerous regulatory violations and owes tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid civil penalties due to ongoing legal disputes with the Department of Environmental Protection over excessive water loss. Despite these issues, efforts to find new ownership have been unsuccessful, leaving customers to cope with unreliable service.

In October 2024, Rock Spring’s owner, J. Roy Campbell, expressed a desire to sell the company to avoid a lengthy regulatory process. By December, he had signed a letter of intent to sell the company to the State College Borough Water Authority for $65,000. However, the sale has not been finalized, and the company’s attorneys have since filed an emergency request to allow the State College authority to take over operations temporarily.

Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine recently denied this emergency request, stating that the PUC has jurisdiction over the matter. A hearing before an administrative law judge is scheduled for April to determine the next steps. In the meantime, the OCA’s request for emergency relief seeks to ensure that customers receive immediate assistance from a capable provider.

The OCA has identified three potential utilities capable of managing Rock Spring’s operations: the State College Borough Water Authority, Pennsylvania American Water Company, and Aqua Pennsylvania. The primary concern is to ensure that customers receive immediate and reliable water service, regardless of which provider takes over.

The situation with Rock Spring Water Company highlights the challenges faced by rural communities when essential services are mismanaged. It underscores the importance of effective regulation and oversight to protect consumers and ensure access to safe and reliable utilities.

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