Howie Kitko, director of public service and assistant New Carlisle city manager, said the project is expected to be complete around July 2025.
“This is huge for us because once we get those lead lines removed ... we’ll have one less thing to worry about from an EPA standpoint,” Kitko said.
The grants are from the fifth round of the Ohio Broadband, Utilities and Infrastructure for Local Development Success water infrastructure program, according to the release, money that comes through federal COVID relief programs.
“From the first dollar awarded through this program to now, we’ve made hundreds of transformative investments in the future of our communities,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in the release. “Having a strong water infrastructure not only safeguards the health and well-being of our residents, but it makes our neighborhoods more resilient and better prepares local leaders for sustainable economic growth.”
In replacing and upgrading the radio telemetry and SCADA system through the Enon grant, the new system would “allow the village operators to run, control and monitor the entire water system more accurately and efficiently from the plant, as well as out in the field,” benefitting 6,800 people.
The New Carlisle project would replace about 55 mainlines, 85-year-old water valves and all 4-inch case iron mains with a 6-inch plastic water main, according to a release. The project will impact 5,785 people.
Kitko said the project won’t affect people much beyond minor service interruptions as far as access to drinking water, but will be more of a nuisance with road closures as lines are removed and replaced.
“This additional round of funding will help communities from one corner of the state to the next replace aging, overwhelmed infrastructure, ensuring that Ohioans have access to clean drinking water,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said in the release. “These projects will not only greatly improve the quality of life for residents in these areas, but they also boost economic growth related to business expansion and housing development.”
The grants join a June Ohio Environmental Protection Agency H2Ohio $750,000 grant to Donnelsville for the planning and engineering design of a drinking water distribution system, benefitting about 100 homes. This will replace individual potentially contaminated wells, and drinking water will be provided by a nearby public water system.
The Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure program was launched in 2021 to continue the H2Ohio initiative, which aims to ensure clean, safe and plentiful water for communities across Ohio.
The Ohio BUILDS program also invests in projects like broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment and the demolition of blighted buildings to improve quality of life and support economic growth, according to the release.
The program is funded by about $500 million from the American Rescue Plan Act — $250 million for the first three rounds of awards and an additional $250 million appropriated by the legislature through House Bill 45, signed by DeWine in January.
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