Study: Greene County sewer faces multimillion-dollar upgrades if large industrial and commercial projects connect

Wessler Engineering presented a capacity and routing study to the Greene County Regional Sewer District, warning that several proposed developments could quickly consume available capacity and require multi-million-dollar conveyance upgrades.

The study, presented by Tyler Hammerly, project manager with Wessler Engineering, assessed existing flows, projected demand from named developments and routes to convey wastewater to the county's treatment plant. "It's definitely more advantageous, I think, to go the 231 route," Hammerly said when asked which alignment Wessler prefers, citing topography and longer-term ability to pick up more customers along U.S. 231.

The report said the county plant is rated for about 50,000 gallons per day and that the plant's current average treated flow is roughly 12,000–15,000 gpd, leaving about 35,000 gpd of rated capacity on paper. Wessler identified several potential demands: a Love's truck stop (referred to in the meeting as "Luvs") seeking about 9,000 gpd; a private Westcott/Weininger development requesting as much as 24,800 gpd if fully built out; and a large industrial "munitions campus" that Wessler modeled at roughly 150,000 gpd in one scenario and warned could be much larger depending on how much acreage and what types of industry locate there.

Wessler outlined two main routing options for the heavy-flow scenarios. Option 1 would convey flows down Stone Road and Scotland Road toward existing facilities but would require upsizing force mains and upgrading lift-station capacity near Scotland Road. Option 2 would route flow along U.S. 231 with new, regional lift stations; Wessler estimated high-level, preliminary construction and nonconstruction costs for the Option 2 set of upgrades at almost $15 million. The firm also noted that a route down 231 is longer (about seven miles from Harvest Church Road to the plant) and would require multiple lift stations but could serve more potential customers.

Brianne Jerrells, identified as the leader of the Greene County Economic Development Corporation, told the board that the campus project has multiple signees and that the developer has signaled significant federal investment. "Money does appear to be there, including a $75,000,000 federal grant," Jerrells said, while cautioning that developers have not finalized treatment plans or flow estimates.

Board members and staff emphasized uncertainty: several projects are at preconstruction or permitting stages and developers have not paid capacity fees or started construction. The board discussed policy questions about how to allocate limited capacity, whether to issue will-serve letters before infrastructure is built and whether developers who pay for on-site conveyance or lift stations should be allowed to recoup costs from future connection fees.

No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting. Hammerly and the board agreed to keep studying phased construction and funding options; Wessler said it will continue working with district staff and developers on cost-sharing and routing design. The firm also noted grant and financing avenues could help pay for major conveyance improvements.

The study and the board discussion flagged next steps the district will need to address: prioritizing near-term customers (Love's was discussed as likely to proceed sooner than large residential buildouts), defining a clear policy on capacity letters and developer cost-recovery, and pursuing funding to avoid shifting large capital costs to existing customers.

Ending: District staff and Wessler will continue technical and policy work; the board did not adopt a new capacity-allocation policy at this session and said it will revisit the study and potential project quotes at future meetings.