Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Columbus Water & Power to apply for loans through the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) in calendar year 2027, to execute paperwork required to enter into WPCLF loans that are offered and accepted, and to designate a dedicated source of repayment for the loans.
The Ohio EPA requires this ordinance which authorizes the Director of Columbus Water & Power to apply for and execute WPCLF loan agreements in 2027 for Sanitary, Stormwater, and Treatment Engineering Capital Improvement Projects as identified in Section 1 of this ordinance, under the direction of the Division of Water Reclamation (DWR). This loan program is jointly administered by the Ohio EPA's Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance and the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA). The WPCLF Loan Fund program provides below-market interest rate loans for municipal wastewater and stormwater system improvements.
In September of 2026 the Division of Water Reclamation submitted nominations to the Ohio EPA for construction projects anticipated to be contracted in 2027 that are eligible for WPCLF funding. Applications for loans for these construction projects will be submitted after bids are received. Design, right-of-way, equipment, construction inspection/administration, and other types of contracts eligible for WPCLF loans are typically submitted for nomination as they are being bid or prepared for procurement, with the loan application submitted after pricing is determined.
Columbus Water & Power anticipates applying for loan funding for the projects listed in Section 1 of this ordinance. However, it may become necessary to add or subtract from this list of projects depending upon project schedule adjustments, departmental need, or the loan agency deciding whether a project is not eligible for funding. The dollar amount of each loan will be based upon bids received, or after professional service contract pricing has been negotiated as part of the City's Request for Proposal process.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
There is no cost to apply for the loans. There is sufficient budget authority in the 2027 Sewer Systems and Stormwater Operating Funds for the loan fee expenditures. Loans will be paid off from Sewerage System and Stormwater revenues (dedicated sources of repayment). Sewerage System and Stormwater rate increases have been projected and planned in anticipation of these projects and loans. The loan for each project and the payment of loan fees are legislated separately from this ordinance.
Title
To authorize the Director of Columbus Water & Power to apply for, accept, and enter into Ohio Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loan Agreements with the Ohio Water Development Authority and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for the financing of Public Utilities capital improvements; and to designate a dedicated source of repayment for the loans. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in September of 2026 the Department of Columbus Water & Power, Division of Water Reclamation, submitted nominations to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) for construction projects that are eligible for loan funding through the OEPA’s Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF); and
WHEREAS, non-construction loans eligible for loan funding through the WPCLF program will be nominated on an as-needed basis prior to the conclusion of the contracting process; and
WHEREAS, Columbus Water & Power is scheduled to prepare loan applications for submittal to the Ohio EPA under the Ohio Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) program to finance, through below-market interest rate loans, the planning, design and construction of capital improvements projects under the Division of Water Reclamation, which said financial assistance may be of help in reducing total project costs to the City's Sewerage and Stormwater customers; and
WHEREAS, prior to WPLCF loan agreement approval by the Ohio Water Development Authority, the WPCLF loan application and loan agreement documents require the City to submit to the Ohio EPA a certified copy of approved City Council legislation authorizing the Director of Columbus Water & Power to apply for and subsequently execute said WPCLF agreements, and to authorize a dedicated source of loan repayment for the loans; and
WHEREAS, per the requirement of the Ohio EPA, SECTION 1 of this ordinance lists the projects Columbus Water & Power anticipates submitting for WPCLF loan approval in 2026 for City Council approval; and
WHEREAS, per the requirement of the Ohio EPA, this ordinance must also authorize a dedicated source of loan repayment for both the Stormwater and Sanitary loans; and
WHEREAS, it may become necessary for Columbus Water & Power to add to or subtract from the list of projects anticipated to apply for Ohio Water Pollution Control Loan Fund financing due to schedule adjustments, departmental need, or the loaning agency deciding a project is not eligible for a loan; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the usual daily operation of Columbus Water & Power to authorize the Director to apply for, accept and enter into WPCLF loan agreements with the Ohio Water Development Authority and to submit a copy of this ordinance to the Ohio EPA prior to the OWDA Board's consideration for loan approvals; and now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Columbus Water & Power is hereby authorized to apply for, accept, and enter into Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loan Agreements with the Ohio Water Development Authority and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, for the financing of the Division of Water Reclamation projects listed below:
|
1 |
650033-100003 |
Central College Subtrunk Extension Phase 3 |
|
2 |
650179-100001 |
Castle Road Force Main Improvements |
|
3 |
650252-100010 |
JPWWTP Screening Improvements |
|
4 |
650257-100101 |
JPWWTP Power Systems Upgrades and Safety Improvements |
|
5 |
650260-103017 |
SWRP RSP Actuator Replacement Project |
|
6 |
650278-100001 |
Jackson Pike Plant Wide Contol System Improvements |
|
7 |
650375-100003 |
Compost Facility Odor Reduction Improvements - Part 2 |
|
8 |
650378-100001 |
Southerly Plant Wide Process Control Improvements |
|
9 |
650402-100001 |
Olentangy Main Interceptor (OMI) Tributary Rehabilitation |
|
10 |
650491-100004 |
Big Walnut Interceptor Lockbourne Subtrunk Canal Road Area |
|
11 |
650245-100002 |
Jackson Pike A-Plant Secondary Clarifier Electrical Upgrades & Miscellaneous Improvements |
|
12 |
650660-100013 |
DOSD Sanitary Pump Station SA-13 Evaluation & Upgrade |
|
13 |
650725-100011 |
Blacklick Creek Trunk Sewer (South) Rehabilitation - Phase 1 |
|
14 |
650353-100007 |
SWRP Bioenergy and Organics Receiving Facility |
|
15 |
650725-100018 |
Near North & East Area Large Diameter Assessment |
|
16 |
650725-100027 |
Scioto Main North Large Diameter Sewer Rehabilitation |
|
17 |
650725-100034 |
Alum Creek Phase D _South |
|
18 |
650768-100003 |
Third Avenue Relief - Phase 3 |
|
19 |
650860-122210 |
West Franklinton Area Sewer Reconfiguration |
|
20 |
650870-109152 |
Blueprint 5th x Northwest Edgehill Meadow |
|
21 |
650870-109153 |
Blueprint 5thxNorthwest Sunrise/Glenn Permeable Pavement |
|
22 |
650870-110161 |
Blueprint Winthrop Milton Area Integrated Solutions |
|
23 |
650870-110163 |
Blueprint Fredonia/Piedmont Area Integrated Solutions |
|
24 |
650870-110164 |
Blueprint Tulane / Findley Area Integrated Solutions |
|
25 |
650870-110165 |
Blueprint Milford / Summit Area Integrated Solutions |
|
26 |
650872-139001 |
Lateral Lining - Blueprint Clintonville 3 Project 1, |
|
27 |
650872-139003 |
Lateral Lining - Blueprint Clintonville 3 Project 3 |
|
28 |
650872-139004 |
Lateral Lining - Blueprint Clintonville 3 Project 4 |
|
29 |
650872-162001 |
Blueprint Miller Kelton Newton Bedford Lateral Lining Project 1 |
|
30 |
650872-162003 |
Blueprint Miller Kelton Kent Fairwood Lateral Lining |
|
31 |
650872-990001 |
Blueprint Lateral Lining Monitored Area 1 |
|
32 |
650872-990002 |
Blueprint Lateral Lining Monitoring Area 2 |
|
33 |
650872-990003 |
Blueprint Maize-Morse Short Liner Monitoring |
|
34 |
650886-100000 |
Scioto Main Sanitary Pump Station |
|
35 |
650895-100007 |
Sunbury Rd / Mock Rd HSTS Elimination Project |
|
36 |
610739-100000 |
60-15 Petzinger Rd Stormwater Imps |
|
37 |
611031-100000 |
Stormwater Pump Stations (ST-21, ST-22, and ST-23) Improvements |
|
38 |
611038-100001 |
Twin Lake Dam Rehabilitation |
|
39 |
611660-100100 |
DOSD Stormwater Pump Stations Construction |
|
40 |
611660-100029 |
DOSD Stormwater Pump Station ST-29 Evaluation & Upgrade |
|
41 |
611707-100000 |
Second Avenue Sewer Improvements |
|
42 |
611720-100001 |
Storm sewer lining |
|
43 |
650037-100000 |
Inflow Redirection - Alum Creek Storm Tank Combined Sewer Area |
|
44 |
650179-100000 |
Williams/Castle Interceptor |
|
45 |
650240-100000 |
JPWWTP Digester Improvements |
|
46 |
650346-100004 |
SWRP Switching Station Replacement |
|
47 |
650348-100007 |
SWRP Fiber Optic Backbone Upgrade and Replacement |
|
48 |
650349-100001 |
SWRP Dewatering Improvements |
|
49 |
650377-100000 |
Southerly Stormwater and Floodplain Improvements |
|
50 |
650493-100000 |
Three Creeks Relief Tunnel |
|
51 |
650661-100000 |
Sanitary Remote Site Communication Network Upgrades |
|
52 |
650725-100021 |
Alum Creek Trunk (South) Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation - Phase 3 |
|
53 |
650725-100024 |
Big Walnut Trunk South Rehabilitation |
|
54 |
650769-1000000 |
Scioto Main Augmentation Relief Trunk |
|
55 |
650870-122261 |
Kian Run Stream Restoration |
|
56 |
650870-153271 |
Stream Erosion Monitoring Tasks |
|
57 |
650895-100006 |
Olentngy River Rd/Snouffer Road HSTS Elimination Project |
|
58 |
611661-100000 |
Stormwater Remote Site Communication Network Upgrades |
|
59 |
691800-100003 |
Professional Construction Management - Water Reuse |
|
60 |
691800-100002 |
Water Reuse Improvements Phase 1 |
|
61 |
650246-100001 |
JPWRP Sludge Dewatering Improvements |
SECTION 2. City Council understands and agrees that the list of projects in SECTION 1 of this ordinance are the projects anticipated to be funded with Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loan Agreements; that it may become necessary to add or subtract from this list of projects for various reasons including project schedule adjustments, departmental need, or the loaning agency deciding a project is not eligible for funding; and City Council authorizes the Director of Columbus Water & Power to make changes to the list as the Director of Columbus Water & Power deems necessary without seeking City Council approval for the changes and without amending this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That Sewerage System Service Charges are hereby authorized to be the dedicated source of repayment for the Sanitary and Treatment Engineering projects’ Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loans.
SECTION 4. That Stormwater Fees are hereby authorized to be the dedicated source of repayment for the Stormwater projects’ Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loans.
SECTION 5. That this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.