The Delaware County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from Del-Co Water Company on the State of the Utility during its regular session on Monday.
Del-Co Water’s General Manager/CEO Glenn Marzluf told the commissioners it had been nearly four years since the utility’s previous status update. He said Del-Co is a nonprofit cooperative with a nine-member elected board of directors.
Del-Co is currently serving customers in Crawford, Delaware (all but the northwest corner), Franklin, Knox, Marion, Morrow and Union counties. It serves more than 50,000 customers or 150,000 people; and is the second-largest rural water system in Ohio with 825 square miles, 2,200 miles of pipeline, and four water plants.
Its water is supplied by the Olentangy River, and the Alum Creek and O’Shaughnessy reservoirs. The supply is part of the Upper Scioto Watershed, the company’s Water Quality Report said.
In a survey of customers, 89% of respondents gave Del-Co a satisfactory rating, with 52% saying they were very satisfied with the utility’s service.
Del-Co has partnerships with Delaware County’s Regional Sewer District, Engineer’s Office, Economic Development and EMA departments; the Big Walnut, Buckeye Valley, and Olentangy school districts; The Alpha Group; Delaware County Foundation; Stratford Ecological Center; People In Need; the Soil and Water Conservation District; and various fire departments.
Among the recent accomplishments of the utility were expanding its output from 19.2 million gallons per day to 28.8 MGD last March; replacing its Marengo office last year; updating its Water System Master Plan; and building a 10-year detailed financial model and capacity fee evaluation. It was also noted that Bill Cole retired from the board after 34 years of service.
Next year, Del-Co will begin planning for the first phase of expanding the Ralph E. Scott Water Treatment Plant over three years. Del-Co’s board recently approved the construction of a new distribution/engineering complex. Also, the utility’s administration building is being named after former CFO Sandra Terry.
Other new projects include the addition of eight future water towers — on Wilson Road, state Route 37 in the Berlin Business Park, Vans Valley Road, Genoa Township, Harlem/Blendon townships, Evans Farm, Liberty Township, and Concord Township — to improve distribution, manage drought and seasonal demands. There is also talk of further expansion in Knox County, Mt. Air, Waldo, and other places.
The presentation concluded with Del-Co’s “Shared Vision” that consists of public health and safety, affordable and value-added services, quality and reliable infrastructure, economic development and successful enterprise, and cooperative and synergy in operations.
For the utility’s annual Water Quality Report, visit delcowater.org/waterquality.
Also at the meeting, the commissioners issued a proclamation honoring outgoing Kingston Township Trustee Steven Volpe.
