HCWP Lime and Soda Ash Dust Collection

The Division of Water (DOW) operates three large interconnected municipal water plants; Hap Cremean Water Plant (HCWP), Dublin Road Water Plant (DRWP), and Parsons Avenue Water Plant (PAWP). These plants consistently and cost-effectively treat and supply clean water to the City of Columbus and a large part of Franklin County for customer potable water uses and for the City’s fire protection purposes.

Lime and soda ash are chemicals used at the HCWP to soften the water as part of the facility’s treatment process. Dry lime and soda ash are delivered to the HCWP via pneumatic truck and the materials are conveyed to the storage silos. A bag-house style dust collector and a pressure/vacuum relief valve are located on the top of each silo.

The original lime and soda ash system was installed in the 1950s and was updated with the existing bin vent dust collectors and conveyance pipes in the 1980s. The system has degraded over time with the conveyance pipes wearing out, and the filters failing to meet original performance expectations.

This project’s scope of work is part of the City’s continuing program to upgrade its treatment facilities to provide efficient, reliable, cost-effective operations and a reliable supply of water to its approximately 1.1 million customers. The purpose of this project is to replace the truck offloading piping, relief valves, instrumentation and controls, and bag collection systems and to install an ambient dust monitoring system. This project will provide a more reliable delivery system for chemical offloading for the foreseeable future.

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

The Ohio EPA has completed a Limited Environmental Review (LER) for this project. View the LER and FONSI letter(PDF, 557KB) of "Notice of Issuance of a Limited Environmental Review and Finding of No Significant Impact” 

For questions, please call the Water Distribution Engineering Office at 614-645-7677.