Ohio EPA loan to help upgrade Columbus treatment facility

Columbus, Ohio, will improve its wastewater treatment and extend the length of use for its Rickenbacker Area Sanitary Pump Station through electrical and mechanical upgrades via a $510,000 low-interest loan from the Ohio EPA.

The project will help ensure continued, effective pump station operations and boost reliability, making system maintenance and troubleshooting simpler, the Ohio EPA said in a news release.

“The project will replace pumps and related equipment inside the existing 20-year-old sanitary pump station and add cellular equipment to relay real-time pump status information to the city’s maintenance department,” the release said.

The Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) has existed since 1989 and offers below-market interest rate loans to communities to improve their wastewater treatment systems, Ohio EPA said. Columbus will save $74,000 as a result of the reduced interest rate on the loan.