Categories: Breaking News

The Birmingham Water Works Board this morning unanimously approved a $329 million plan that would expand the system's long-term water capacity till 2075.

The plan would also eventually add $3 a month to residential customers' water bills. The utility will sell bonds to finance the project. Officials said the bond transactions would come in a series, as money is needed for different phases of design and construction. The $3 increase would be phased in during the life of the project and would come on top of regular annual increases in water rates.

The plan calls for building a new pump station on the Black Warrior River along with two pipelines feeding into the system. The project could take 12 years to complete, including at least two years to acquire permits.

The project involves building a pumping station about three miles downstream of the Bankhead Lock and Dam along the Jefferson-Tuscaloosa county line.

The recommendation came after a 2007 analysis concluded the utility won't be able to handle user demand around 2025. Water Works officials say the plan would give the system capacity to handle projected demand through 2075.

The utility's current capacity is 184 million gallons a day, and demand is expected to jump to 222 million gallons by 2075. Water officials say multiple droughts and unpredictable weather also make the need for alternative water sources more pressing.

The Water Works serves customers in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, Walker and St. Clair counties.