LISBON Water district seeks funding

The district must expand to avoid raising water rates.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- A water district serving much of southern Columbiana County is trying to secure funding for a new water treatment plant and related facilities.
Columbiana County commissioners agreed Wednesday to a pact with the Buckeye Water District, an independent governmental entity that provides treated water to about 3,700 residential and business customers.
The contract gives the district the first chance to be the provider of water to communities in the county through future waterline projects.
As the only entity of its kind in the county, Buckeye is in that position now, said Al DeAngelis Jr., district manager.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture, from which the district is seeking a loan for its building plans, has urged Buckeye to get a written water-provision agreement, DeAngelis said.
Although it hasn't happened yet, a private company could come in and try to strike its own water deal with the county, he said.
The contract doesn't bind the county to dealing only with the district, especially if a private concern offers a better price, DeAngelis said.
The agreement does, however, give the district an opportunity to match or beat a private company's water deal.
Buckeye must extend its waterlines and its customer base in the next 21/2 to 3 years, or the estimated $18.3 million cost of its proposed building project will force the district to raise rates to help pay for it, DeAngelis said.
Buckeye customers now pay an average of $30 monthly.
About project
The proposed project calls for constructing a new $9.3 million plant capable of treating about 4 million gallons of water daily; an $8 million pumping station to draw water from the Ohio River; and a $1 million administrative office building to replace a cramped facility in Wellsville, DeAngelis said.
The district's goal is to boost its customer rolls to nearly 5,000 to help pay for the undertaking, DeAngelis said.
To accomplish that, it's eyeing expansion in several parts of the county, including the Wellsville area; Lake Tomahawk, a private community in Middleton Township; and an area south of Lisbon.
The district has landed about $7 million in federal grants to help pay for the building project, leaving about $11.3 million more to finance.
More grants will be sought to further trim the cost and reduce the amount the district must borrow.
leigh@vindy.com