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Tri‑Cities wastewater official outlines $223.8M Needmore Road plant upgrade, says Huber Heights produces 53% of flows
Summary
Tri‑Cities General Manager Danny Knife told Huber Heights Council the Needmore Road plant improvements will cost $223.8 million, increase capacity by 64% and address stricter OEPA permit limits; a $15 million equalization project was completed in March 2026.
Tri‑Cities North Regional Wastewater officials told Huber Heights City Council on June 2 that a multiyear, $223.8 million improvement to the Needmore Road wastewater treatment plant will be required to meet upcoming Ohio EPA limits and increase capacity to serve a growing region.
Danny Knife, Tri‑Cities general manager, said the plant improvement project will increase average daily flow capacity from 11.2 million gallons to about 17.3 million gallons (a 64% increase), update aging treatment process equipment and address stricter 2027 OEPA permit limits on phosphorus, ammonia and biochemical oxygen demand. Knife said a separate equalization project to prevent sanitary‑sewer overflows — two 3.4‑million‑gallon tanks at Taylorsville Metropark — was completed in March 2026 at a cost of $15 million.
Knife noted Huber Heights contributes roughly 53% of the system’s flows and is billed accordingly. He outlined a sewer improvement scheduled for completion in September 2026 for a new sewer line from Chambersburg Road and Endicott Road to the Needmore Road plant (estimated $9.8 million). Knife said plant improvement construction is planned from August 2026 through December 2031, with an estimated CMAR guaranteed maximum price near $223 million.
Councilmembers questioned whether the plan relied on a 2009 master plan; Knife said the master plan remains valid because the infrastructure needs identified then have not materially changed. Assistant City Manager Aaron Sorrell reported the city has budgeted $500,000 in 2026 for sewer lining as part of ongoing efforts to reduce groundwater and stormwater infiltration into the sanitary system.
Knife and staff also discussed loan repayment expectations, including an estimated $10 million annual debt payment beginning in 2031 and the use of below‑market state loans and capacity fees to offset costs and relieve current ratepayers, with repayment schedules and potential refinancing discussed as financing options.
The Needmore Road plant improvements were described as required to maintain compliance with permit limits and to address growth; Tri‑Cities and city staff said they will continue design and financing coordination in the months ahead.
