Bryn Mawr-based Essential Utilities, a large publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas provider, invested more than $1.3 billion in long-term improvements in 2024 and plans a projected $7.8 billion in additional investments through 2029.
Recent projects included replacing 450 customer-owned lead service lines in Chester County; modernizing nearly 410 miles of water, wastewater and natural gas pipelines; replacing more than 1,600 lead and galvanized water service lines; constructing a 500,000-gallon water tower in North Carolina; and upgrading the Manakin Farms Wastewater Treatment Facility in Virginia.
Highlighting the need for sustained investment in infrastructure nationwide, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released its 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. While almost half of the assessed categories contributed to an overall grade improvement to “C” from “C-,” the 2025 grade for the nation’s wastewater infrastructure was “D+” while drinking water infrastructure was graded “C-“.
With the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, ASCE estimates investment needs total $9.1 trillion for all 18 categories it evaluates for the United States to reach a state of good repair.
“As one of the nation’s largest water, wastewater, and natural gas providers, Essential has both a duty and a commitment to address this need – particularly in aging systems across our communities,” Christopher Franklin, Essential Utilities chairman and CEO, said on April 10.
This year, the company plans to invest more than $1.4 billion to improve service reliability, ensure compliance with evolving regulatory standards, and protect public health. Essential Utilities said the billions of dollars in investments planned over the next five years will directly improve service reliability, protect public health and ensure compliance with changing regulatory standards.
“Over the past five years, we have actively invested in vital infrastructure to ensure the safety, reliability and sustainability of essential services for generations to come. We will continue to be part of the solution with thoughtful, ongoing capital investment over the next five years,” Franklin said.
Essential Utilities operates as the Aqua and Peoples brands and serves approximately 5.5 million people in nine states.