Project Updates

Columbia Power and Water Systems (CPWS) is continuing work on the Long Term Water Supply Program (LTWSP) to provide water supply reliability and additional capacity for current and future water customers. The LTWSP consists of several construction projects including a new intake and pump station on the Duck River, a raw water transmission main from the intake to the existing water treatment plant, and expansion of the existing water treatment plant.  Construction activities for the LTWSP projects will be completed in multiple phases and will continue throughout the next several years. 

 

  • WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $272 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the city of Columbia, Tennessee, known as “Muletown,” with a population of about 50,000. This loan will help Columbia implement expansions to its drinking water system, increasing capacity and system reliability to deliver safe drinking water throughout the city and nearby rural communities. The Trump EPA’s investments in America deliver on the agency’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative, which advances public health while powering the American economy.  

    “Working on this WIFIA Loan with Columbia, Tennessee, has helped advance the Trump EPA’s goal of making sure water is working for Main Street USA,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. “Ensuring safe drinking water is critical to supporting growing populations and growing economies like in Columbia. This $272 million WIFIA loan will help us do just that and continues to prove that we can protect public health while bolstering local economies.”  

    “We are proud to proactively take steps to complete this necessary project to ensure the long-term viability of clean drinking water in our region,” said Jack Baxster, Interim CEO and President for Columbia Power & Water Systems. “Capitalizing on the most advantageous available financing, such as the WIFIA loan, we are locking in future savings for our ratepayers.”  

    The city of Columbia will use WIFIA financing for its Long Term Water Supply Program, which will expand its drinking water system to continue providing water for its growing regional population. This project includes construction of a new raw water intake structure, transmission main, and improvements to the system’s existing water treatment plant. Through these upgrades the city will increase drinking water supply reliability for its customers and provide water to rural communities within the city’s service area.  

    EPA’s WIFIA loan enables Columbia to meet increased demands due to population and economic growth while delivering for its communities and businesses. The program will provide Columbia flexibility through the ability to customize repayment schedules – saving the city millions over the life of the loan. Additionally, this project is expected to drive meaningful economic impact and support a substantial number of jobs during the construction process and beyond. 

    Since issuing its first loan in 2018, EPA’s WIFIA program has announced $24 billion in financing for water infrastructure projects that are strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating over 177,000 jobs. Through its flexible financing features and competitive interest rates, WIFIA helps communities save money, and even accelerate water infrastructure investments.  

    WIFIA has approximately $11 billion in flexible financing available to support additional water infrastructure projects across the country, including in small communities and rural America where WIFIA can finance up to 80% of project costs. To help small communities access WIFIA funding, the agency recently announced a commitment to waive WIFIA application and credit processing fees. Additionally, the agency’s State WIFIA program has approximately $3 billion available for loans to state infrastructure financing authorities. EPA is currently accepting letters of interest for funding through WIFIA and State WIFIA.  

    Learn more about EPA’s WIFIA Program and water infrastructure investments, including how to submit a letter of interest.  

    Background    

    Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan program administered by EPA. The program aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs. 

  • The existing plant was originally constructed in 1952 and has been expanded and improved over the years.  Maintenance work at the existing plant as part of the Community H2O Program includes:

    • Improvements at the existing Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to replace aging equipment throughout the plant, providing more reliable water treatment and greater operational flexibility.

    • Replacement of settling basin equipment, filter improvements and media replacement, disinfection system improvements, replacement of high service pumps and backwash pumps, replacement of the residuals pumps, chemical storage and dosing system improvements, miscellaneous yard piping and valve repairs, as well as electrical-power and controls improvements.

    Maintenance work at the existing WTP began in 2024 and is largely complete.  The existing treatment plant capacity is rated for flows up to 20 million gallons per day (MGD).

  • Construction of a 12 million gallon per day (MGD) capacity expansion to the existing WTP will provide additional capacity for projected demands on the CPWS system.  Once completed, the combined treatment capacity of the WTP will be 32 MGD between the existing conventional treatment plant and the new membrane treatment plant expansion.  The expansion project also includes a backwash recycle system, additional clearwell tank storage, and additional high-service pumps to serve future peak demands and provide operational flexibility for future maintenance.  

    Construction on the backwash recycle system began in February, 2026, and is expected to be completed by June, 2027.  Construction on the water treatment plant expansion began in July 2026 and is expected to be completed by June 2029.

  • The Program includes expansion of CPWS’s water supply capabilities with a new raw water intake and raw water pump station (RWPS) located downstream of Columbia on the Duck River on the far western edge of Maury County (Williamsport). The Downstream Intake (DSI) will expand the total withdrawal capacity from 20 MGD to 32 MGD and will be the primary source of water from the river. The location of this new intake has been coordinated with local, state, and federal stakeholders and will not only provide additional raw water for CPWS’s customers but will also provide redundancy should drought or emergency conditions occur in the river. A new raw water pump station will be constructed at the downstream intake site to pump water back up to the WTP in Columbia. 

    Initial site preparation at the RWPS began in July 2026 and substantial construction is expected to begin in November 2026.  Construction is expected to be completed at the Downstream Intake and Raw Water Pump Station by June 2029.

  • A large diameter raw water transmission main (RWTM) will be necessary to convey water from the new Downstream Intake to the expanded WTP in Columbia.  This 36-inch diameter main will be constructed along the nearly 17-mile alignment from the RWPS in Williamsport to the WTP in the City of Columbia.  Construction of the RWTM will include two trenchless river crossings and multiple highway and utility crossings.  Tree clearing for work along the RWTM will commence in October 2026 and construction of the pipeline is expected to begin by November 2026.  Construction of the Raw Water Transmission Main is expected to be completed by January 2029.