Officials celebrated a renovated and expanded sewage plant in Powell – called the Olentangy Environmental Control Center – that will help Delaware County continue to accommodate new growth in the area.
“The OECC serves what we have identified as key growth corridors along Sawmill Parkway and U.S. Route 23. An investment like this is not just an investment in growth, but in being able to manage our growth strategically,” Jeff Benton, president of the Delaware County Board of Commissioners, said in a prepared press release marking the Aug. 10 event.
The building at 10333 Olentangy River Road dates back to 1979, when it was Delaware’s first large-scale wastewater treatment facility. It was replaced by a second facility at the same site in 1994.
The latest renovations of the Delaware County Regional Sewer District facility have been ongoing since September 2022 and cost $46 million, partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Development. The sewer district services more than 129,000 customers over 550 miles of sewer lines.
The project used an innovative model of “progressive design build” that reduced the overall cost by an estimated $12 million, Regional Sewer District Director Tiffany Maag said in the release.
The conventional model is that construction is sent out to bids after design is completed, but for this project, designers directly collaborated with construction and engineering teams.
“The last several years have brought historic challenges to supply chains and material markets,” said Chad Dunn, the project manager for the design-engineering firm Arcadis. “Using Progressive Design Build kept this project on budget and on time.”
Rob Knapke, vice president of the building company Peterson Construction, said that the project has been a “collaborative effort from start to finish.”
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers regional/suburban trending news for The Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Delaware County unveils renovated, expanded sewage treatment plant
Reporting by Anna Lynn Winfrey, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Anna Lynn Winfrey, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
