By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green has taken another step toward expanding its reservoir capacity next to its water treatment plant that draws water from the Maumee River.
The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously Monday evening to purchase two acres that sit immediately north of the water treatment plant and west of acreage bought last year for the same purpose.
The new acreage could potentially double the water reservoir space at the plant, located at 17549 W. River Road.
The owners of the property at 17382 W. River Road, James and Tennie Karvel, had approached the city about the possibility of purchasing the two acres that has a home sitting on it. The property was appraised at $450,000, and the city negotiated a purchase price of $425,000.
The land acquisition now moves onto City Council for a vote. If the purchase is approved, the home on the property will be torn down when the city is ready to move ahead on expanded water reservoir space.
This would be the second land purchase for more reservoir space. In early 2023, Bowling Green bought 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 year 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 purchased last year 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.
Earlier this year, the Bowling Green Board of Public Utilities voted to proceed with a $4 million expansion of the membrane treatment process at the city’s water treatment plant.
The Abbott Laboratories plant planned on the north edge of Bowling Green may use up to 1 million gallons of water a day. Abbott plans to invest more than $500 million in its site on Ohio 25 and create 450 permanent jobs.
The city’s goal is to complete the water treatment plant expansion in 2025, prior to Abbott beginning production sometime in 2026 or 2027.
Bowling Green is also expected to have a new water customer using about 500,000 gallons a day, at the new data center proposed on Ohio 582, served by Northwestern Water and Sewer District.
