
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 5, 1990                   TAG: 9006050539
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WATER, SEWER PROJECTS MAY COST CITY $62 MILLION

Needed expansion and upgrading of Roanoke's water-filter plants and sewage-treatment plant could cost up to $62 million, City Council was told Monday.

Kit Kiser, director of utilities and operations, said renovation and expansion of the Carvins Cove and Falling Creek water plants and related improvements to the water system could cost $17 million.

The city has an adequate water supply in the Carvins Cove reservoir, Crystal Spring and other sources, Kiser said, but it needs to expand the Carvins Cove plant's treatment capacity from 18 million to 28 million gallons a day.

During the drought two years ago, the city had plenty of water, he said, "but we had a problem in getting enough water treated and distributed throughout the city."

The sewage-treatment plant expansion, needed to accommodate projected growth in the Roanoke Valley in the next two decades, could cost $40 million to $45 million, Kiser said.

The treatment plant is operated by Roanoke, but serves as a regional facility. Roanoke treats sewage from Salem, Vinton, Roanoke County and Botetourt County under contractual agreements.

Roanoke's share of the cost for expanding and upgrading the treatment plant is estimated to be $7 million to $15 million, Kiser said.

City Manager Robert Herbert and Finance Director Joel Schlanger will make recommendations to council soon for higher water and sewer rates to help finance the projects, Kiser said.

Consultants have recommended that the sewage-treatment plant be expanded and other improvements be made to provide the capacity to handle growth in the next 20 years.

The plan calls for the plant's treatment capacity to be increased from 35 million to 62 million gallons a day. The storage capacity would be increased from 60 million to 90 million gallons a day.

A substantial portion of the projected growth is expected to occur in Roanoke and Botetourt counties. They would have to share the cost of expanding the plant and replacing the sewer transmission lines.

Roanoke County has requested additional capacity at the treatment plant to help accommodate the projected growth.

by CNB