Dec 6, 2023 By Katherine Mansfield 2 min read

Canonsburg Borough Council will cast a vote next week to determine whether the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Sewer Authority will be sold to a private company.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, inside council chambers at 68 E. Pike St.

Canonsburg’s is the final vote needed for the joint sewer authority sale to proceed.

In October, the joint sewer authority board voted 3-2 to sell to Aqua, a water company that serves more than 3 million customers in eight states, including Texas, the Carolinas and Pennsylvania.

Because the authority is jointly owned by Canonsburg and Houston boroughs, both councils must agree to sell. Houston council voted unanimously to sell during its monthly meeting Nov. 8.

“We have to look after what’s best for the community. Right now, that’s probably our best option, to go ahead and sell,” Houston Mayor James Stubenbort said at the time.

Canonsburg council was scheduled to vote the following week, but tabled the vote at its November meeting.

“For us, this is a huge decision. We want to take the time to think about it,” borough council President Eric Chandler told the Observer-Reporter at the time.

The borough hosted a public workshop at the end of last month to discuss the potential sale, which will generate revenue for both Canonsburg and Houston, hear residents’ concerns and accept community feedback.

If Canonsburg votes to sell, the upstream communities – North Strabane, Cecil and Chartiers – will have to agree to the terms. Hearings will be scheduled and the sale must be approved by the state Public Utility Commission before it’s finalized.

The entire process could take up to two years.