City’s $11M water-softening project nearing completion
Huber Heights has almost completed the upgrades to its water treatment plant on Rip Rap Road, adding membrane softening technology that will soften the city’s water.
Once completed, the water will be a little softer than water supplied by Dayton, said Russ Bergman, Huber Heights city engineer. The water treatment plant has also added a larger generator and a more productive well to phase out an old one.
The $11 million project is being paid for by a loan from the Ohio Water Development Authority and increased water rates.
Peterson Construction began building a 6,000square-foot building to house the nanofiltration system in July 2019. Construction has taken about a year and the softening process will begin around the beginning of May.
Huber Heights residents may have noticed a 15% increase in their water bill in January 2019 and 2020, with an average increase of $6 per month per resident. In 2021 and beyond, water bills could increase based on the consumer price index table, published by the Department of Labor, at the city’s discretion.
The move toward softening the city’s water came from the needs and demands of residents, City Manager Rob Schommer said.
“This is really going to reduce buildup in pipes and fixtures and overall improve the quality of the water for everyone,” Schommer said.
It would also reduce the amount of soap and detergents that residents would need to use.
The water treatment plant currently filters out manganese and iron. Once the water-softening filters are up and running, it will also filter out calcium and magnesium to help reduce the hardness.
Later this year, Huber Heights will also be eliminating their old water plant on Needmore Road and they will be making a connection to Dayton’s water supply. This would be a backup water supply, and Dayton would also be able to utilize Huber Heights’ water in the case of an emergency.
The city recommends residents who have a water softener at their home turn it off for a month or two once the city’s water softening is up and running. That way residents can see if there is a difference. Schommer said the majority of Huber Heights residents use a water softener already and the watersoftening project could end up saving residents money if they find the new softened water is to their preference.
Although municipal softening would impact all residents, some residents may decide to continue using their existing softener to lower the softening to a level even softer than what the city’s water will be. For those residents, they will need to change the hardness level setting for the water going into their existing water softener to 7 grains/gallon. By doing this, their salt consumption will be reduced considerably.
Residents are encouraged to check www.hhoh.org for updates on the water softening project or contact Bergman at City Hall.