Water upgrades on time in Belmont County
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Belmont County's extensive water infrastructure improvement project is on schedule, and may be completed this fall.
On Wednesday, the commissioners approved a change order from Christmas Constructors for the project for an increase of $141,463.34 for a new contract total of $28,306,037.34.
The expense covers electrical work to prepare for the installation of a new permanent stand-by generator at the Spring Hill pump station at the existing water plant. It will be paid for with United States Department of Agriculture funding.
"That pump station's going to be where the old plant is currently," Commissioner Josh Meyer said. "We are in the process of transferring the service of water down to the new plant, which is actually pumping new water, sending it up to the old plant, and it's sent out from there, it's part of the process. They're actually demo-ing the old plant and that will soon no longer be in existence, but there will be a pump station up there, we'll have a stand-by generator added to it so that way ... so that pump station will be able to continue operating (in the event of power outages such as occurred in February).
"Just having some backup systems put in place to maintain service," Meyer said.
"Is the plant done? It's pumping water?" Frank Papini of St. Clairsville asked during the open public forum segment.
"They're just in the process of completely switching things over," Meyer said, adding water is still being dispersed from the old plant. "It's not completely switched over. ... Physically (the new plant) is completely done (with the exception of some minor adjustments).
"Nothing's being delayed, as far as that goes, it just takes a lot of time for that process to take place," Meyer said afterward. "That's nothing that wasn't anticipated."
In 2018, the USDA announced a $60.5 million investment in Belmont County in the form of a $45.5 million direct loan combined with a nearly $15 million grant to modernize and improve the water system. With funding for wastewater improvement, this investment comes to $72 million.
In order to maintain the water and sewer systems, the commissioners have raised water rates, with an automatic annual increase of 2.5% to take effect at the beginning of 2023.
One of the communities that will see the most impact from this upgrade is St. Clairsville. The city intends to begin purchasing water from Belmont County in lieu of the antiquated water treatment plant and reservoirs, since the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has mandated an alternative.
The city has reestablished water service connection with the county and is preparing to upgrade the distribution system throughout the community with the help of grant funding from the Ohio EPA as part of the Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grant program. The city uses about 600,000 gallons per day. Meyer said the upgraded water system will be able to meet this need.
"We've upgraded some things with our waterlines to be able to create more efficiency in the system to allow us to be able to furnish St. Clairsville with water and still continue to distribute our water out to our regular customers, we'll be in good shape to be able to do that," he said.
Also Richard Hord of Martins Ferry inquired about any possible use for the a former Belmont County Courthouse annex building on Ohio 331.
"We'll have to take a look at that building to see if there's anything that can possibly be done or restoratively they can do," Meyer said.