West Fallowfield Township has secured a $1 million federal grant, moving the 300-year-old village of Cochranville closer to getting its first public water line, writes Brooke Schultz for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bringing public water to the mostly agricultural township in western Chester County has been a decade-long effort, according to Duane Hershey, chairman of the board of supervisors.
A survey conducted several years ago showed that water access was a concern for residents, and township leaders have long sought to strengthen Cochranville’s commercial landscape. Leaders are aiming to secure as much funding as possible to minimize the impact on residents.
With this $1 million federal grant, the municipality can begin gathering additional funds for the project, projected at $5 to $6 million.
The village of Cochranville is the town center of West Fallowfield and has a population of around 500. It features a small number of residences and businesses, with relatively small lots with on-site well water and septic.
“We’re not doing this because we want to develop Cochranville and build a whole bunch more houses,” said Hershey. “The reason we want to do it is just to improve the infrastructure that’s already there, that is struggling because of our water issues.”
Read more about the public water line project developing in Cochranville in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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