District Purchases Land in St. Albans Township

Licking County – The Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District has recently purchased just under 100 acres of land in St. Albans Township in anticipation of future infrastructure needs throughout the western Licking County area.

Although the actual uses and layout of the land are yet to be determined, the area is large enough to provide both water and sewer treatment facilities. The site not only presents a regional solution to potential water and sewer service, but also opens the door to new regional partnerships and opportunities to combine existing facilities. It is anticipated that EPA regulations will become more stringent in the future and modern facilities planned with these requirements in mind will create regional opportunities for cost-effective compliance.

More than ten years ago, the District anticipated the growth potential of the 161 corridor

and the need for a regional solution for water and sewer services. Since that time, the

District has worked to establish a service area and to plan for the extension of services. “The

District is aware of the need for future water and sewer capacity in the western Licking

County area,” said CJ Gilcher, interim General Manager. “We began planning and

extending services into those areas a number of years ago, and this is a continuation and

expansion of that capacity.” “The reality is that new development is not just coming, in

some cases it is already here,” said Larry Kretzmann, District Board President.

The District is also planning other expansions that will provide a benefit to existing customers.

“We’re always looking for new partnerships and opportunities to grow and provide services to new customers, but we are also committed to providing quality services to our existing

customers. We want to assure our existing customers that they aren’t going to subsidize the cost of providing new services to prospective customers. We remain firmly committed to our principle that ‘Development Pays for Development.’ Ultimately, the existing customers should see a benefit to this growth from an economy of scale perspective,” said Kretzmann.

“The District will begin planning site layout and capacity as development demands become more clear, but we won’t fully know the extent of capacities until we know what those

demands are, once local planning and approvals are further along,” said Gilcher.

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