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Johnson County wastewater proposes $2 million buy‑in to transfer portions of sewer system to Spring Hill

3849927 · June 6, 2025

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Summary

Johnson County Wastewater proposed paying up to $2 million as a system buy‑in to connect about 450 homes to an expanded Spring Hill gravity sewer system; staff said the transfer would eliminate two pump stations and associated force main costs and that customers in some areas would move to Spring Hill billing.

Johnson County Wastewater staff presented June 5 a proposal to pay up to $2,000,000 as a system buy‑in to the City of Spring Hill to connect roughly 450 homes in the Lone Elm/170th area to a planned Spring Hill gravity sewer. The proposal includes transferring ownership of gravity sewer portions to Spring Hill and continuing Johnson County Wastewater (JCW) ownership of a low‑pressure (purple) area.

"We could eliminate pumping flows from these two pump stations... and eliminate those future rehabilitation costs to both of those stations, as well as the force main," Aaron Witt, JCW planning staff, said. Witt described two existing pump stations (Lone Elm and Bull Creek) that currently transport flows five miles to the New Century treatment plant; Spring Hill’s planned gravity sewer would remove that need and open up developable land.

Witt said the buy‑in would be funded from JCW’s capital finance charge model and that the county had paused a planned Lone Elm rehabilitation project (budgeted at over $2 million) because the buy‑in opportunity arose. The city’s timeline calls for design starting in July and construction completion in spring 2027; Spring Hill City Council was scheduled to consider the city agreement June 12.

Witt and Spring Hill city engineer Allison Abel said sewer rates for affected customers would be comparable under Spring Hill and that JCW would demolish and abandon the two pump stations after transfer. Commissioners asked whether the $2 million was a one‑time expense and how the figure was developed; staff said the number reflected the city's system buy‑in methodology and matched amounts already budgeted in JCW’s capital plan.

The item requires a public hearing and will remain on the action agenda for formal consideration next week; no final decision was made at the agenda review.