S       Many areas of Greene County, particularly Beavercreek and Sugarcreek, had sewer & water added “after the fact” (i.e., retrofitted).  This is a much more expensive way to install utility lines than other jurisdictions in the surrounding areas faced.

S       GCSED began operations in mid-1960s with construction of the Beavercreek sanitary sewer system and wastewater treatment facility.

S       Discussions on a central water system commenced as early as the mid-1960s but a majority of Beavercreek Township's population that attended public meetings/hearings deemed the price too high or felt that a central system would contribute to more growth.

S       The 1970s saw many developers installing “plat water systems” that were turned over to the County to own and operate. The County was operating up to six separate water systems in Beavercreek at one time.

S       As Beavercreek continued to grow in the 1970s, more and more residents were experiencing water problems, such as their wells going dry.  In 1977 the Sanitary Engineer was directed by the Board of Greene County Commissioners to build a water system in the Beavercreek Township area for those residents that “needed and wanted it”.

S       The resulting water system was a retrofit, designed for just those that “needed and wanted it”; therefore, it had many dead-end lines and was fairly inefficient.

S       Both the community and the water system grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, with Beavercreek attaining the status of a city in the early 1980s.  The water system grew by 15-20 water extension projects per year, primarily from petitions by property owners that “needed and wanted water”.  The water treatment facility was also expanded several times in the late 1980s and mid-1990s.

S       Expansion of the Northwest Regional Water System has always been a balancing act; if it is built too large the current customers must bear the burden with excessive rate increases; if capacity lags behind growth, the shortages occur during high demand periods (summer irrigation periods).

S       The County worked with a consultant to develop a Comprehensive Master Plan for the water system that was completed in 2005.  The plan identified and prioritized many projects to strengthen the system over a 20-year period, as well as what is needed for a full build-out of the County.

S       The Executive Summary of that Master Plan is available on the GCSED web site by clicking here.