The Towanda Municipal Authority (TMA) was established by the Towanda Borough Council in 1950 for the purpose of acquiring the privately-owned Towanda Water Works (which now serves six municipalities) and to assume responsibility for the Borough’s sewer collection system which was built between 1886 and 1924 and, until 1953, discharged raw sewage directly into the adjacent Susquehanna River.

In 1953, on its own volition, TMA completed construction of one of the first wastewater treatment plants in Pennsylvania along with construction of its first sewage interceptor main that directed all wastewater away from the river and to the new, central plant.

In 1971, TMA upgraded the plant to secondary treatment along with other improvements. Between 1972 and 1983, TMA extended public sewers to the developed areas of Towanda and North Towanda Townships and reorganized itself to include representatives from these municipalities.  In 1988, the Wysox Township Municipal Authority (WTMA) completed construction of its sewer collection system and, through an “Intermunicipal Agreement” began conveying sewage to the Towanda Wastewater Treatment Facility which, itself, was upgraded again in 1991. These latter two projects were the result of the 1982 “Towanda Area 201 Facilities Plan” that encompassed the four aforementioned municipalities.

In 2000, these same communities plus Monroe Township and Monroe Borough completed the “Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan Update” which led to TMA and WTMA sewer extension projects in areas of immediate need including all of Monroe Borough (which became a TMA member at the time).  The Plan also identified future areas of growth and led to the 2006 Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade Project that, among other things, replaced a chlorine contact tank with an ultra violet disinfection system, installed a septage receiving station and facilities to achieve biological nutrient reduction and, to produce a Class “A” beneficial biosolid (that will not need to be landfilled), installed an Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digester (ATAD), improved headworks sludge thickener and a centrifuge.