Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said a tentative permit issued for PPL Electric Companies’ latest upgrade project could undo years of stormwater management work in the city.
“The city has a real and immediate stake in this permit, and the public interest here is significant,” Cognetti said in her letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). She noted that any potential new stormwater runoff created by the project could negatively impact the areas around Keyser Creek in the West Mountain area.
The proposed Stanton-Summit Line Rebuild Project would rebuild an existing 7.75 miles of 69 kV transmission line between PPL Electric's Stanton and Summit substations, according to the utility. The project will also install 0.75 miles of fiber on an existing transmission line.
The upgrades would disturb 72.5 acres of land in Scranton, Taylor, Ransom Twp., all in Lackawanna County; and Duryea and Exeter Twp., both in Luzerne County, according to an entry in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
PPL Electric Utilities says the project is "a reliability investment" that will replace transmission infrastructure that was installed in 1926 and has exceeded its expected service life.
"Investing in the line now helps avoid more costly repairs and increased outage risks that can occur as infrastructure continues to age," a PPL Electric Utilities spokesperson said. "Replacing equipment before failures occur is generally more efficient and cost-effective than responding to unplanned outages and emergency repairs."
The spokesperson said the project is not being undertaken "to serve proposed data center development" after being asked by WVIA News.
Hearing request
Cognetti is requesting the DEP hold a public hearing on the electric company’s draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
NPDES permits control water pollution by regulating discharge points into waters across the country. The DEP approves those permits.
Pennsylvania code allows any interested person or government agency to petition for a hearing on a draft NPDES permit.
PPL applied for the permit because of stormwater discharges related to the rebuild project, Cognetti says in her letter.
Stormwater still an issue
The city has struggled with serious stormwater problems, including “streets and basements that flood, drainage systems that cannot keep up and runoff that damages public and private property,” Cognetti said.
The third anniversary of a devastating and deadly flash flood in the city and surrounding areas is this September.
“The city has spent millions of dollars of public money to fix these problems and to meet its own stormwater obligations. A project that tears up 72.5 acres and discharges construction stormwater into the same waters that move through the city puts that investment at risk,” she said.
Officials are planning to spend $5.7 million in 2027 alone in stormwater management projects in Keyser Valley, the mayor said.
Application issues
In Cognetti’s letter, she points out problems in the utility company’s application for the NPDES permit, including:
- The application does not have a required soil map.
- A proposed concrete washout sits outside the project boundary.
- The post-construction stormwater plan does not adequately preserve stream channels or protect identified wetlands at several site plans.
- Lacks the required clearances from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
- The application does not address the project’s overlap with a protected habitat or species.
"Public comments are an important part of the permitting process," according to the utility. "PPL Electric will continue to work with DEP throughout its review of the application and will provide any additional information requested by the agency as part of that process."
