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Mid Ohio Water & Sewer outlines $465M near‑term capital plan and timeline for London area projects
Summary
Mid Ohio Water & Sewer told the council it has assumed roughly $40 million in assets/liabilities and outlined immediate operations fixes, interconnections to protect supply, a $22.3M east‑trunk sewer project, and a $465M five‑year capital program funded via mixed mechanisms including grants, 0% loans and capacity fees.
Mid Ohio Water & Sewer District officials presented a detailed update on operations, aging infrastructure and planned capital investments for the London area and the broader district.
Tom Taylor, a Mid Ohio director, said the district took on about $40 million in assets and liabilities when it began operating London’s utilities and that many system components are approaching the 15–20‑year replacement window. "We took on about $40 million worth of debt," he said, adding that the district had evaluated expansion scenarios and found major upgrades—such as doubling the Oakrun wastewater plant—would be cost‑prohibitive (engineering estimates reached roughly $200 million for some options).
Taylor described immediate operational steps already taken after the transition: raising water‑tower elevations to restore pressure, running a leak‑detection program, hydro‑flushing lines and equipment upgrades at the west plant. He said Mid Ohio supplied London with 65 million gallons of supplemental water in 2025 via two interconnections that can be opened during plant outages. "In 2025, we provided city of London 65 million gallons of water just in that calendar year," he said.
On capital planning, Mid Ohio presented a districtwide $465 million five‑year investment estimate (water and wastewater plants, towers, distribution and trunk sewers) and a further $355 million in long‑term needs. The east side trunk sewer—the project Congress/engineers rebid after receiving limited contractor responses—now carries a $22.3 million price (including engineering); the district has secured easements and submitted a loan application with the aim of starting construction in the summer if loan awards and bidding proceed.
Funding approaches listed by Mid Ohio include grants, state 0% loans, capacity fees charged to new development (the district’s residential sanitary tap fee is $10,000; water capacity $7,500) and spreading debt across the district to reduce per‑customer impacts. Taylor emphasized staged implementation, a pending rate study and the district’s goal of limiting rate shock to current customers while accommodating projected growth.
Council and residents asked about capacity constraints for planned housing and industrial projects, whether trunk sewer and water line sizes can handle projected flows, and the scheduling for new water/wastewater plants. Taylor said some projects will not be online until 2028–2029 and that the district is pursuing interconnections, master planning and grant or low‑interest financing to manage costs.
Why it matters
The district’s capital and financing plan will shape the pace of development, affect customer rates and determine whether large projects (new plants, trunk sewers, water towers) can be completed within developers’ timelines. Council asked staff to incorporate Mid Ohio’s rate study and capital timing into future budget decisions.
What’s next
Mid Ohio said it will pursue loan awards, continue engineering and provide the council with timelines and projected rate impacts as its rate analysis and financing plans are finalized.
