BOARDMAN – Aqua Ohio is improving and expanding its Mahoning Valley operations to benefit customers and government-owned utilities.
The Boardman-based company is finishing a $14 million project at its Poland Township water treatment plant, replacing aging equipment with modernized processes to meet future supply and regulatory demands. The plant currently serves 20,000 customers locally.
This year, Aqua will decommission the Campbell water plant and connect its 3,200 customers to the Poland plant.
Statewide, Aqua delivers 40 million gallons of treated water to some 500,000 residents in 19 counties and employs 180, including 50 locally.
“We continue to invest in the area by replacing aging infrastructure and expanding our reach to improve water quality, reliability and flow capacity to enhance fire protection,” says Aqua Area Manager Jennifer Johnson.
Of the $70 million the company looks to spend this year, approximately $8.9 million will be invested locally, Johnson says.
“Some communities are struggling to keep their facilities up-to-date and face the need to institute steep rate increases or stiff penalties from environmental regulators,” says President Ed Kolodziej. “Working with Aqua Ohio can provide community leaders with needed expertise and the financial resources to ensure the long-term sustainability of their systems. We’re actively discussing potential agreements across the state and look forward to future system expansions.”
On Feb. 12, Bob Davis will take over for the retiring Kolodziej. Davis was director of public utilities for Cleveland and served as superintendent of water treatment and distribution in Warren and Campbell.
“I look forward to this new chapter in my career and combining my knowledge of the demands on government-owned utilities to the private, regulated sector,” Davis says.