This agreement provides funding to city of columbus, department of public utilities to implement its project to conduct an optimization study for the southerly wastewater treatment plant expansion…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 awarded $937,500 to the City of Columbus, Department of Public Utilities through the Congressionally Mandated Projects program (CFDA 66.202) on May 1, 2025, to conduct an optimization study for the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant (SWWTP) expansion. The project, directed under the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act, will execute a comprehensive wastewater infrastructure study examining the existing plant condition and design basis to identify optimization opportunities within current operational parameters. The study will evaluate the SWWTP's capacity to handle 37 million gallons per day (MGD) average daily flow and 110 MGD peak daily flow, with the ability to treat for phosphorus removal.

Deliverables include technical memorandums justifying the need for additional primary and secondary treatment capacity, detailed analysis of all optimization alternatives, and evaluation of potential future expansion requirements to determine the highest environmental benefit and return on investment. Expected outcomes encompass environmental benefits including protection of aquatic ecosystems, mitigation of water pollution, nutrient pollution reduction, water resource conservation, renewable energy generation, and improved soil and agricultural practices. The project, with an ultimate completion date of August 6, 2027, will directly benefit residents of Columbus, Ohio, with no subawards included in this assistance agreement.

This agreement provides funding to city of columbus, department of public utilities to implement its project to conduct an optimization study for the southerly wastewater treatment plant expansion as directed in the 2024 consolidated appropriations act or as identified in an approved technical correction if one has been approved for this project. Activities:the activities to be performed include the execution and implementation of a wastewater infrastructure study. Workplan activities consist of wastewater treatment plant expansion improvements. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include technical memorandums associated with individual studies to justify additional primary and secondary treatment for swwtp that is assumed to be sized to handle 37 MGD average daily flow and 110 MGD of peak daily flow, and include the ability to treat for phosphorus. The expected outcomes include environmental benefits by protecting aquatic ecosystems, mitigating water pollution, conserving water resources, reducing nutrient pollution, generating renewable energy, and improving soil and agricultural practices. The optimization study will review the existing plant condition and design basis, and determining all potential opportunities for optimizing the plant operation within those existing conditions. Once those alternatives are developed and evaluated, the needs for potential future expansion will be evaluated and considered to determine the highest environmental benefit and return on investment. The intended beneficiaries include residents within the city of columbus, ohio.