COLUMBUS — Columbus water customers are paying 11.7 percent more this year as the city pushes ahead on an estimated $2.5 billion overhaul of its water utility, now rebranded as Columbus Water & Power.
Water director Kristen Atha says the investment is unavoidable: replacing aging galvanized and lead service lines alone will cost about $100 million a year — $1 billion total — and the department budgets another $44 million annually to replace water mains.
The long-range program, expected to run through about 2034, is funded largely through Ohio EPA loans and federal programs. Officials say costs are climbing across the board, from treatment chemicals to pipe materials, which have risen sharply in recent years.
Atha notes Columbus bills remain lower than in nearby Delaware, Pickerington, Westerville, Pataskala and Marysville, and the city recently switched from quarterly to monthly billing after replacing aging meters to help residents budget. The utility also saved roughly $200 million by moving about 350 workers into five floors at Huntington Plaza instead of building a planned $250 million headquarters.
The city is also building cogeneration facilities at its Southerly and Jackson Pike treatment plants to convert captured methane gas into electricity, aiming to cover half of the plants’ energy needs. The treatment plants are the department’s largest power draw on the city grid.