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Columbia County approves $386,990 change order to complete UV advanced-oxidation water treatment project
Summary
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved Change Order No. 1 with MBcon Construction on April 15, 2025, increasing the UV advanced oxidation treatment contract by $386,990.83 to a total of $13,185,000. County staff said the system is functioning and will reduce taste and odor compounds in the water.
Columbia County commissioners on April 15 approved Change Order No. 1 with MBcon Construction Company to finish a UV advanced-oxidation treatment project, adding $386,990.83 and raising the contract total to $13,185,000.
County staff described the system as an advanced treatment step that reduces taste and odor compounds in the drinking water and removes some contaminants tied to algal activity. A county staff member told commissioners the original contract was “just shy of $12,800,000” and that negotiations and liquidated-damages adjustments led to the final figure. Staff said the product is installed and working and that the change order will close out the project.
Nathan, an engineer who spoke to the board, described how the system operates: county personnel inject peroxide into the water and expose it to ultraviolet light to create hydroxyl radicals. “It’s the strongest oxidant that we have found on the planet,” Nathan said, and he said the process breaks the long carbon chains that produce compounds such as MIB and geosmin, which cause taste and odor. Nathan also said Columbia County is the first in Georgia to install this particular system; he said there was only one other installation in South Carolina.
Vice Chairman Couch moved to approve the change order; a commissioner seconded. The board voted by voice/hand and the motion carried.
The change order was described by staff as a project close-out step; staff did not specify the funding source in the meeting record. The county noted liquidated damages were applied to the contractor for delays, reducing the net increase. No further implementation steps or follow-up reporting requirements were announced during the meeting.
Officials also fielded brief technical questions from commissioners about what the system removes and whether water is purified; staff clarified the system targets taste- and odor-causing compounds and does not alter basic mineral content such as magnesium.
Commissioners approved the change order during the meeting with no roll-call tally provided in the public minutes.
