Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

10/23/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/23/2025 11:53

PUC Approves Settlement Regarding Meter Testing Concerns at Pocono Waterworks

PUC Approves Settlement Regarding Meter Testing Concerns at Pocono Waterworks

Published on 10/23/2025

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Settlement Addresses Concerns About Utility Failure to Test or Maintain Records for Decades-Old Water Meters and Includes Corrective Measures

HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today approved a settlement between the PUC's independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E) and Pocono Waterworks Company, Inc. (Pocono Waterworks), addressing the utility's long-standing failure to test or maintain records for decades-old water meters.

Pocono Waterworks serves several hundred customers in parts of Wayne and Lackawanna counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Commission voted 5-0 to approve the settlement after publishing it for public comment.

No comments were received, and the settlement is now final.

Background of the I&E Investigation

The matter began in April 2023, when the Commission's Bureau of Consumer Services (BCS) received a high-bill complaint from a Pocono Waterworks customer. During follow-up discussions, BCS raised concerns about the utility's lack of compliance with meter testing requirements, including an inability to confirm the age of the customer's meter or provide for its timely testing.

Further inquiries revealed that Pocono Waterworks did not have access to a certified meter testing facility and lacked a clear plan for testing or replacing outdated meters. In August 2023, BCS referred the case to I&E for further investigation.

Over the next several months, I&E attempted to gather information from Pocono Waterworks through formal data requests. The utility's responses were initially delayed and incomplete but ultimately revealed that the company had not conducted regular testing on its water meters and was unable to provide basic records required by Commission regulations - including meter age, test dates, or test results.

According to I&E, Pocono Waterworks later acknowledged that the average age of its water meters was 23 years - beyond the 20-year threshold requiring testing under PUC regulations - and the utility failed to maintain proper records of meter performance.

Terms of the Settlement

To address the issues identified during the investigation, the approved settlement includes a series of corrective actions intended to bring Pocono Waterworks into compliance with state regulations, including:

  • Testing or replacement of 15% of all water meters (approximately 45 meters) annually over a seven-year period, ensuring full compliance with meter accuracy standards.

  • Ongoing data collection and reporting related to meter age, test results, meter location, and other required information.

  • Submission of semi-annual compliance reports to the Commission's Bureau of Technical Utility Services.

  • Development of a certified meter testing process, either through the establishment of an in-house testing facility or the use of a third-party standardizing laboratory approved by the Commission.

Pocono Waterworks has also agreed to adopt recordkeeping practices consistent with Commission regulations and to minimize customer service interruptions during meter work.

The approved settlement resolves the I&E investigation and establishes a clear compliance plan for Pocono Waterworks to ensure the accuracy and reliability of customer billing and meter testing practices going forward.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

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Docket No.: M-2025-3042412

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Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission published this content on October 23, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 23, 2025 at 17:53 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]