A couple of aging water treatment plants just aren’t doing the job for Marietta anymore.

Marietta City Councilman Bret Allphin, chairman of council’s Water and Sewer Committee, reviewed the situation during a meeting of that committee Tuesday. Among his points:

∫ The structures are old: 1934 and 1975, both dates well past the average 20-year life expectancy.

∫ There have been issues with several of the processes used to treat the water. Perhaps most significantly, the current soda and lime ash filtering process is no match for some of today’s new contaminants.

A new, more effective, smaller plant is being envisioned by Marietta officials, one similar to the facility in operation in Devola. It would replace the two plants on the hill behind Marietta Memorial Hospital, to be built in the same location. The two plants are processing about 8 million gallons of water now, which is much more than the city actually uses. The new plant would be designed to handle 4.5 million gallons.

It would be a reverse osmosis water treatment system. Construction would take two years, with one of the current plants handling the city water supply until the new one is completed and the remaining old one can be torn down.

The project would come with an estimated $30 million price tag. The money to pay for it would involve an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency loan for much of the cost, but there also would be no way to do it without rate increases in some fashion.

Allphin said he knows there will be people who will demand to know, “Why can’t we just fix up what we have?” That’s not possible, he said.

“I have to emphasize we are not in a no-build situation,” Allphin said. “We’ve had outside experts come in, and in the past couple of years, I’ve seen a lot of due diligence on this.”

The necessity of a big change has been obvious for quite a while, he said. About 80% of the desired design concept was available by the time he came on council.

On those water rate increases, the city is doing much more than taking a guess at what will be needed, Allphin said. In February, the city entered into a contract of about $7,000 with RCAP, or Rural Community Assistance Partnership. The organization specializes in helping smaller communities assess what they need to do with rates in order to cover capital improvement costs such as the ones Marietta envisions. As Allphin explained it, RCAP examines a number of key factors such as cash available, debt, billing data, usage data and current rates. Then the group produces a customized water rate study.

Marietta has its RCAP water rate study in hand, and it’s being careful about how it is introduced to the public. Allphin said he and City Engineer Joe Tucker have been over the study, twice. At the moment, Mayor Josh Schlicher and Safety Service Director Steve Wetz are studying it. The plan is to have Todd Brandenburg of RCAP present the study in detail to the Water and Sewer Committee at its meeting next Tuesday, then at the Oct. 20 council meeting.

Then Allphin plans to initiate some meetings where the water rate study and the existing design plan are presented for public input.

The Ohio EPA loan Allphin is hoping to use has an early December application deadline, but he says one thing is certain before then.

“I’m adamant that I don’t want to apply for a loan for this before the rates are out there,” he said.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Memorial Health System is the second most active clinical trial site in the Columbus National Cancer Institute ...

PARKERSBURG — An action filled week is ahead at the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library. ∫ Monday, ...

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Copyright © Marietta Times | https://www.mariettatimes.com | 700 Channel Lane, Marietta, OH 45750 | 740-373-2121