Because of rising costs and concerns over Zelienople's aging water plant, the borough council has agreed to buy water for its customers.

Council has approved a 40-year agreement with the Beaver Falls Municipal Water Authority to buy water and distribute it to customers.

Currently, the borough operates its water plant, which serves about 2,100 customers.

Borough manager Don Pepe said Tuesday the borough needs to build about 11 miles of waterlines to connect the borough to the Beaver Falls system, which he expects to take about three years, before Zelienople begins to buy water.

The decision to buy water from Beaver Falls also will eliminate the borough's reliance on the Connoquenessing Creek as its secondary source of drinking water.

In July 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order to make AK Steel provide an alternative water source to borough water customers.

That occurred because of high levels of nitrates discharged into the creek by the company's Butler Township plant. Residents had to drink bottled water until the nitrate levels went down.

Once the borough begins buying water from Beaver Falls, Pepe said, the borough will decommission its water plant. After that, the plant's three employees will remain to operate the borough's distribution system, Pepe said.

Borough engineer Tom Thompson said the estimated cost of the total project is about $7 million.