Water Quality Assurance Lab Renovations

CIP No. 690515-100000

This project is located at 910 Dublin Road in the Dana G. Rinehart Public Utilities Complex. The Water Quality Assurance Lab (WQAL) Renovations project will provide renovations to HVAC, electrical, fume hoods, gas/vacuum/air fixtures, cabinetry and ergonomic upgrades. Most of these components are original lab assets from 1984 and are now past their useful life and do not meet current laboratory design or ergonomic standards. Equipment is aging and replacement parts are difficult to produce.

When the lab was originally designed, computer workstations were not in use and subsequent installations have not been ergonomically designed. In addition, the lab will be updated to allow for implementation of a LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System).

Testing performed in this lab is Ohio EPA mandated and certified. This project will help bring this facility up to current standards so that it can continue to provide mandated testing to support the three Columbus Division of Water (DOW) Treatment plants which provide a reliable source of water to Columbus and the surrounding communities.

Construction is slated to start in mid-2022 and is expected to be completed by mid-2024.

This project is not expected to have any adverse environmental impacts since the construction will occur within the existing Water Quality Assurance Lab footprint. The design will include provisions to address environmental issues consistent with the City’s Environmental Management System (EMS) and local, state and federal requirements.  

The Ohio EPA has completed a Limited Environmental Review (LER) for this project. View the letter(PDF, 295KB) of "Notice of Issuance of a Limited Environmental Review and Final Finding of No Significant Impact to All Interested Citizens, Organizations and Government Agencies."

The DOW plans to fund this project with a below market-rate loan through the Ohio EPA’s Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSLRA) Program. Prior to granting this loan, the Ohio EPA required a detailed submittal from the DOW to determine the project’s eligibility for the program.