Record-breaking infrastructure project underway in Huntington

HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) — A nearly $250 million Huntington Water Quality Board Upgrade Project is in the works and is expected to fix several issues plaguing Huntington, West Virginia.

The project is spread out into five smaller projects.

The first project will separate stormwater and sewer on 3rd and 5th Avenue on 24th and 25th Street. A move that Bracey says is “a big improvement for that area that has seen flooding repetitively.”

The second project includes a line extension running to the residents who live outside of the city limits and don’t have access to sewer services. This includes areas along Route 10 in the Green Valley and Norwood areas.

The third and fourth projects will upgrade two of the largest pump stations in the sanitary system, located at 4th Street and 13th Street West.

Bracey says these stations were built in the 1950s and carry around 85% of the water, including wastewater and stormwater to the wastewater treatment plant. They were originally designed with four pumps, but the 13th Street West station is currently operating with one pump.

The fifth and final project will replace the Waste Water Treatment Plant, which was also built in the 1950s. Bracey says the facility has only seen one upgrade in the 1980s, which was an expansion of a process system.

On average the plant receives a little more than 9 million gallons a day with a maximum intake of around 17 million gallons. With this upgrade, the plant will be able to handle around 64 million gallons.

The projects are funded through ARPA and grant funding made possible after the most recent rate increase, which is already showing up on customer bills.

The first two projects were out for bid starting Thursday and contractors are expected to place their bids by the first of October. Bracey says the first two projects are expected to be complete in 2 1/2 years, around 2027.

The next three projects will go out for bid at the beginning of 2025. The pump stations will take about 2 years from the time they get under construction.

Bracey says the fifth project is expected to take around 6 years to complete because of the size of the new plant and the amount of additional wastewater being processed.

When construction on the new plant starts, Bracey says customers will not be affected. The current plant will remain in operation until the new facility is complete.

All the upgrades are expected to be complete by the year 2030. Exact dates are not available at this time.

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