Windber Area Authority

What Windber Area Authority does

Windber Area Authority (WAA) is a Pennsylvania municipal water and wastewater authority established in 1967, serving approximately 6,000 customer accounts across Windber, Paint, and Scalp Level boroughs and portions of Paint, Richland, and Adams Townships in Somerset County, PA. The water system draws from the Mauch Chunk/Burgoon aquifer via 7 production wells (including 2 artesian wells) and distributes through approximately 80 miles of pipeline to roughly 10,000 people. The Ingleside Sewage Treatment Plant, constructed in 2007, applies Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) biological treatment with a 10 MGD design capacity and serves approximately 5,800 sewer customers.

WAA generates revenue from tiered monthly water and sewer service charges, one-time tap and connection fees, and administrative penalties. The January 2025 rate schedule sets water minimums at $25/month for the first 2,000 gallons with declining-block usage tiers up to 100,000+ gallons, and sewer minimums at $20/month with usage-based charges above 2,000 gallons. Billing, customer notifications, and the public website are operated through Muni-Link hosted infrastructure, with new payment options including ACH and SMS text alerts. Operational technology is limited to SCADA-based monitoring and ArcGIS for the EPA LCRR water service-line inventory.

The Authority is a regulated monopoly within its service territory, with no competitive alternative. Capital expenditures of approximately $11.5 million are in flight across the Mine 40 water system replacement ($4.2M) and the Scalp Level sewer rehabilitation ($7.3M), partially funded through PENNVEST loans and grants with additional applications pending to PA DCED and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. WAA is governed by a publicly appointed board that holds regular monthly meetings, and operations are run with 1-10 employees under contract/outsourced arrangements typical of small municipal authorities.

Name

Windber Area Authority

Legal name

Windber Area Authority

Website

https://www.windberareaauthority.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Windber Area Authority is a Pennsylvania municipal water and wastewater authority established in 1967, serving approximately 6,000 customer accounts across three boroughs and three townships in Somerset County via 7 production wells, ~80 miles of pipeline, and a 10 MGD SBR treatment plant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water and Wastewater Utilities

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Wastewater treatment
• Sewer collection
• Municipal water supply
• Water distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Windber

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Service Fees: Recurring monthly water service charges based on consumption tiers. Base minimum of $25 for first 2,000 gallons, then $8 per thousand gallons over 2,000. Effective January 2025.
2. Sewer/Wastewater Treatment Fees: Recurring monthly sewer treatment charges with tiered rates starting at $20 minimum for 0-2,000 gallons. Highland, Paint Township, Paint Borough, Windber Borough, and Scalp Level service charge rates vary by municipality.
3. Connection/Tap Fees: One-time fees for new water and sewer connections including connection fees, customer facilities fees, and capacity fees. Water connection fees range from $743 to actual cost depending on meter size.
4. Administrative Fees: Various administrative fees including late fees (5%), returned check fees ($40), posting fees ($30), non-payment shut-off fees ($40), meter accuracy testing fees, and lien letter request fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Windber Area Authority operates a public water supply system drawing from the Mauch Chunk/Burgoon aquifer via seven production wells and a wastewater collection and treatment system centered on the Ingleside Sequential Batch Reactor plant. It provides monthly metered water service and sewage treatment to approximately 6,000 residential, commercial, and municipal customers across the Windber, Paint, Scalp Level boroughs and parts of Paint, Richland, and Adams Townships in Pennsylvania.

Product overview

Windber Area Authority (WAA) operates as a municipal water and sewage utility providing core water distribution and sewer collection/treatment services. The water system serves approximately 10,000 people through seven deep wells drawing from the Mauch Chunk/Burgoon Aquifer, with 80 miles of pipeline. The sewer system treats waste from approximately 5,800 customers at the Ingleside Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) plant with 10.0 MGD capacity. Supporting services include online bill payment via eGovPayments and AuthorityPay, direct debit ACH AutoDraft, a Water Service Line Material Inventory accessible via ArcGIS webmap, and annual Water Quality Reports. Major infrastructure projects include the Mine 40 Water System Replacement ($4.2M estimated cost) and Scalp Level Borough Sewer Project ($7.3M estimated cost), both funded partially through PENNVEST.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution System Public potable water service delivered through seven deep production wells drawing from the Mauch Chunk/Burgoon aquifer, approximately 80 miles of pipeline, and storage tanks serving about 10,000 people in Windber, Paint, Scalp Level, Paint Township, and Paint Borough. Customers are billed monthly on a tiered consumption basis.
• Sewer Collection and Treatment System Wastewater collection and treatment for approximately 5,800 customers in Windber, Paint, Scalp Level boroughs and parts of Paint, Richland, and Adams Townships. Treatment is performed at the Ingleside Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) plant; service charges are billed monthly on tiered rates with zoned capacity fees for new connections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water meets all Federal and State drinking water requirements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Muni-LinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationMuni-Link provides and hosts the WAA website (WebPresence) and utility billing software (Muni-Link Billing). They handle the technical infrastructure, privacy policies, and terms of service for the online platforms including bill payment and customer portal systems.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Suez Water (now Veolia): Regulated water and wastewater utility operating across the eastern U.S., with comparable regulated water utility economics and customer-base model, though at substantially larger scale than WAA.
• Essential Utilities (Aqua America): Large publicly traded water and natural gas utility with significant Pennsylvania footprint (formerly Aqua America). Comparable regulated water utility model, but operating at multi-state, multi-billion-dollar scale.
• Pennsylvania American Water: Subsidiary of American Water Works, the largest investor-owned water utility in the U.S. Operating across much of Pennsylvania, it serves a similar regulated-water-and-wastewater customer base but at materially larger scale.
• Veolia North America: Global environmental services company operating water and wastewater utilities under municipal contracts across the U.S. Comparable in service offering (water/sewer O&M and concession) but as a private-sector operator rather than a government authority.
• Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority: Municipal authority providing water and sewer service to the city of Pittsburgh. Same regulatory regime (PA DEP/EPA), same municipal-authority structure, and same Lead and Copper Rule exposure, but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Ebensburg Municipal Authority: Small Cambria County municipal authority providing water and sewer service. Near-perfect structural and geographic peer for WAA in terms of size, regulatory environment, and customer mix.
• Borough of Berlin Water Works: Small Pennsylvania borough-operated water system serving a similar size community in Somerset/Cambria-adjacent region. Highly comparable scale, structure (municipal/authority), and operating profile to WAA.

Regional players

• Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County: A Pennsylvania-based municipal water and wastewater authority serving multiple communities in Westmoreland County. Comparable as a multi-municipal, non-profit government authority providing regulated water and sewer service with similar revenue model and regulatory environment.
• Indiana County Municipal Services Authority: Pennsylvania county-level municipal authority providing water and wastewater services to small communities. Comparable in scale, structure, and rural/legacy-industrial customer base.
• Greater Johnstown Water Authority: Adjacent Cambria County water authority serving the Johnstown area with similar small-to-mid Pennsylvania municipal utility profile. Directly comparable operating geography, scale, and customer mix (residential + light commercial in legacy industrial region).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/windber-area-authority

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Windber Area Authority