Columbus City Utilities is planning more than $51 million worth of capital projects over the next three years, to be funded through recent rate hikes.
Information on these projects was included in the department’s 2021 annual report, which is available at columbusutilities.org.
According to utilities officials, the approved rate increases are the first in more than 27 years for water customers and 12 years for sewer customers.
“The increase in rates will be used to fund several water and sewer infrastructure improvement projects identified in the Columbus City Utilities Master Plan,” said officials.
As noted in the report, more than $30 million is being allocated to wastewater improvements, including replacing old infrastructure, upgrades to system capacity and the extension of service to “strategic growth areas” in Columbus.
One of the most expensive sewer improvements is the westside interceptor and southside lift station project. According to the utility’s website, it’s estimated to cost a little over $15 million.
“This project will address an existing hydraulic constraint, replace aging infrastructure, and allow for future growth in the city west of State Road 11,” said officials. “The project will serve all customers west of the West Fork White River.”
Another major sewer project concerns improvements to the Walesboro and Woodside industrial areas to address existing hydraulic constraints and create more capacity to facilitate continued growth. The estimated project cost is $6.5 million.
A less expensive but still significant project is the Mill Race sewer abandonment, estimated to cost $1 million.
“This project will abandon an old 36-inch sewer located in the river bank that is in poor condition by re-routing sewer flow to a newer 66-inch sewer,” said officials. The 66-inch sewer serves most of the department’s customers between the East Fork White River and Haw Creek.
Among projects for the water utility, more than $20 million is being allocated to infrastructure improvements such as replacing old water mains, eliminating lead goosenecks on water service lines, increasing system capacity and creating additional elevated storage.
Two of the larger water projects are estimated to each cost $5.3 million. One is the eastern zone water storage tank.
“This project will increase the water storage capacity of the system which will improve operation of the water treatment plants,” officials said. The tank will add 2 million gallons of water storage and impact two-thirds of the water system.
The other major project involves a new booster station on Deaver Road and a new tank in the area. The booster station will replace equipment that is “undersized and past its useful life.”
The project serves the Walesboro and Woodside areas and is expected to improve water supply and facilitate growth. It will add 1 million gallons of finished water storage.
The department is also adding four new groundwater wells in existing wellfields to keep up with current and future demands. The new wells will be able to produce 4,000 gallons of raw water per minute. Estimated project cost is a little less than $3 million.
There are also a number of water main replacements planned. These projects include replacing aging mains prone to leaks, mains with lead service goosenecks, and undersized mains. Officials expect to replace water mains on First Street, Fourth Street and Inwood Drive in 2022, followed by additional replacements downtown and in the airport area.
The water main replacement program includes 3,675 feet of main replacement on Inwood Drive; 1,500 feet on International Drive; 1,100 feet on First Street and 2,000 feet on Fourth Street.
