EWSU investigating use of groundwater as alternative to new water plant

HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility is investigating the use of groundwater as a cost-saving alternative to building an all-new surface water treatment plant.

EWSU Executive Director Vic Kelson made the announcement at Tuesday’s Evansville Rotary Club meeting, saying that the Utility is putting a temporary pause on the new plant to further explore the groundwater option. Utility officials believe that supplementing surface water from the Ohio River with groundwater from wells could save upwards of $50 million on a new plant now, lower the cost of treating PFAS later and reduce the need for significant water rate increases in the near future.

Kelson said the idea first came up after state regulatory officials made clear that the Utility is required have a plan to treat PFAS – known as “forever chemicals” – by the summer of 2025, and the Utility must be ready to implement the plan five years later.

Treating PFAS is extremely expensive, Kelson said, and could add an additional $100 million in future capital expenses, plus future operation and maintenance costs.

“At that point, we considered the possibility that our groundwater might not have PFAS,” Kelson said. “After realizing that an earlier groundwater study hadn’t looked at treating groundwater and surface water separately, we decided to investigate and see if that would be a viable approach to dealing with PFAS.”

City officials say EWSU drilled several monitoring wells and a test well to determine the groundwater quality, and to find out how much water each well could produce. Tests found no detectable levels of PFAS, and that the wells could pump enough water to decrease the City’s total reliance of surface water.

Officials also say in addition to saving money on capital projects and providing better water quality, using groundwater would diversify the City’s water supply so our community is not completely reliant on a single source of water. Currently, EWSU’s only water intake structure is on the Ohio River several yards from the riverbank, where it is vulnerable to passing barge traffic.

The savings could also allow the Utility to restore the long-term water main improvement program that was suspended as a cost control measure.

Reducing capital costs, lowering operational expenses, better water quality and holding down significant rate increases is a win for the entire community, said Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry.

“As a city, we’re committed to moving forward in the most responsible – and the most fiscally responsible – manner possible,” Mayor Terry said. “By incorporating groundwater into our water system, we could not only see tremendous financial benefit for the city and all EWSU customers, but we also could see cleaner water from a more diversified water supply. So, I encourage Vic and the EWSU team to continue exploring this option, because if their early findings hold true, this has the potential to offer numerous benefits to our entire community.”

The original design plan for the new plant was scrapped due to what officials called an “upside down economic environment”.

The original plan was proposed in April 2021 with an estimated cost of $177 million. By 2022, officials said interest rates nearly doubled, which caused the price tag to exceed $400 million. The current cost was projected at over $200 million.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).