City of Toledo to spend $175 million on “critical fix” for water intake pipeline

(UI) — On March 26, WTOL 11 reported “pressing issues” with the city of Toledo’s raw water intake pipeline. Sylvania Mayor Craig Stough said that his office was told “by an engineering firm taking a look at the low-pressure water line coming from the low-pressure water treatment plant to the water treatment plant itself that it had a zero life expectancy left in it."

Ed Moore, Toledo’s Director of Public Utilities, said “this is the first time we got report back that we could have a problem with the couplings themselves,” referring to pieces of infrastructure that hold underground water pipes together. According to the report from the engineering firm, these decaying couplings are “the most catastrophic risk to the pipeline.”

The pipe conditions could see Toledo failing to meet summer water service demand, said Moore. While backup pipes exist, they aren’t big enough to cover all of the city’s residents. A possible failure could “force a high level of conservation” that will ask households to restrict their water consumption.

Fixing the couplings will cost $175,000,000 and will use $100,000,000 dedicated for a new water source. WTOL 11 reports that the “critical fix” is still in the design stage, with construction starting no earlier than 2025 and taking three years to complete.

This story was originally reported on by WTOL 11

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