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Belpre outlines $6 million PFAS-funded water projects, launches water-modeling and SCADA work; resident raises billing-fee concern
Summary
Mayor Abdella told council the city expects about $6 million in PFAS grant funding for waterline projects and described a water-modeling kickoff and onsite SCADA work; a resident later asked why $4 and $2 water fees are listed separately rather than included in the base rate, a question council said will require review and possible budget changes.
Mayor Abdella told Belpre City Council on May 11 that the city finalized its PFAS grant submission and is "currently expecting 6 million dollars" toward identified water and sewer projects. She described the primary projects as Farson Street, a 10-inch line and booster station on Hill Street, and Braun Road extensions to connect residents currently unable to connect. She said the PFAS grant is reimbursement-based and the city will post an RFQ for engineering and design; the rough schedule given was engineering through November 2026, bidding and award in the first half of 2027, and construction in the second half of 2027.
Mayor Abdella also announced that the city has kicked off a water-modeling project with EDG to help understand flows and pressure and that onsite SCADA work would begin and last an estimated three to four weeks. She reported McKeever Excavating's sewer jetting and CCTV work is nearly complete, and noted the Water Reclamation facility currently has an open staff position that the city is seeking to fill from applicants and an existing candidate list.
During public comment, resident Jesse Wonycott raised a billing question about $4 and $2 fees on the water bill that are not included in the 1.5% calculation and asked whether the fees could be moved into the base rate and tracked in a separate fund for transparency. Mayor Abdella said she did not have an immediate answer and would need to "talk to the EPA," and Mr. Locke said the separate line items were deliberate and that changing them would require budget revisions and additional legislation.
Council received the informational items; there were no formal votes recorded at the meeting to authorize construction or award contracts tied to the PFAS funds. The city indicated it will post the RFQ for engineering and design work and continue to update council as projects move through engineering, bidding and construction milestones.
