By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green is planning to buy 36 acres to add reservoir space next to its water treatment plant for $724,800.
“We’ve been interested in expanding our reservoir capacity for a while now,” Bowling Green Public Infrastructure Director Brian O’Connell said last week during a meeting of the Bowling Green Board of Public Utilities.
The water treatment plant, on Ohio 65 next to the Maumee River, currently has a 170 million gallon raw water reservoir. The additional acreage is expected to add storage for 100 to 150 million gallons of raw water, according O’Connell.
The city pumps river water into the reservoir when the river has higher water quality. Efforts are made to avoid pumping when there are higher levels of pollutants in the river such as turbidity, sediment, storm events, nitrates, farm runoff, etc.
The reservoir then provides raw water to the plant for treatment. This allows the plant to use the best quality raw water for the treatment process which reduces costs and avoids potential issues.
The existing reservoir provides about 30 to 45 days of storage capacity based on the current water production. The city is interested in expanding raw water storage capacity and considered the parcel to the north of the reservoir as a potential option. The city contacted the property owner and has negotiated and signed a purchase agreement.
The property is approximately 36.24 acres and the purchase price is $20,000 per acre for a total of $724,800. There are adequate funds in the Water Capital Reserve Fund for this purpose. The price seems reasonable based on other parcels in the area that have sold for about this same price for residential use, O’Connell said.
Additionally, there is a benefit in being adjacent to the reservoir, he added.
However, all the acreage cannot be used for water storage.
“Unfortunately, we will not be able to utilize the entire parcel for reservoir expansion since the Nexus Gas Pipeline runs diagonally across the property and cuts off the northeast corner,” O’Connell reported, estimating about 25 acres will be usable for water storage.
The agreement is contingent on a few items:
- Approval by the Board of Public Utilities and City Council.
- Completion of an environmental assessment of the property that is acceptable to the city.
- Completion of a survey of the property by the city.
- The seller provides any documentation of easements on the property, in particular the Nexus Gas Pipeline which is located on the property.
“By expanding the existing reservoir, I do not anticipate the need to add any additional pump stations which will reduce the capital costs,” O’Connell said.
The city will have to relocate the existing 36-inch raw water line around the new reservoir.
The land purchase was approved by the Board of Public Utilities Monday evening, and will next go to City Council for review.
