City hosts groundbreaking for new Water Distribution and Wastewater Management facility

The City of Columbia held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, June 8 for the City’s new Water Distribution and Wastewater Management Facilities. The new facility is located at 4011 West Beltline Blvd. The project is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building Silver Certification and once registered, will be the first LEED project for the City.

Mayor Steve Benjamin kicked off the ceremony by talking about the impact this new facility will have on the community. “This facility will represent the epitome of true sustainability. We’re excited to see this happen here in the City of Columbia”, Mayor Steve Benjamin stated.

The project includes renovation of two existing buildings, a new 15,300 square foot administrative building, removal of 2.5+ acres of existing asphalt for landscaping and rain gardens, and reclamation of all asphalt on site.

“We’re very excited about this project. For years, our water and wastewater maintenance staff have been packed very tightly in our existing facility. By moving into this new facility, it will give us an opportunity to expand and improve our operations”, Director of Utilities and Engineering Joey Jaco stated. When the facility is completed approximately 300 – 400 employees will work in the new buildings.

The Water Distribution and Wastewater Management facilities sustainable features include:

• Six rain gardens throughout the site will sustainably filter storm water and reduce runoff.
• A green roof on the Administration Building will reduce the heat island effect and further filter storm water.
• Landscaping has been designed to cut irrigation by 50% over standard usage.
• Low-flow fixtures reduce indoor water usage by 30%.
• Bicycle storage and changing rooms with showers encourage alternative transportation.
• Daylighting throughout the buildings, combined with sensors on light fixtures for daylight harvesting, and efficient LED lighting contribute to a reduction in energy usage by more than 30%.
• Sunshade systems on the exterior of the Administration Building, combined with ceramic frits (white opaque patterning on the glass) reduce solar gain at the windows.
• Low-Emitting materials, including sealants, paints, flooring and other materials improve air quality.
• Lighting and thermal efficiency are enhanced through a high degree of user controllability of systems, so that conditioning and lighting are not wasted where not needed or desired.
• Remediation of the existing brownfield site and encapsulation of existing hazardous subterranean materials improve the environment.
• During construction, 75% of waste will be either recycled or salvaged, with documentation provided by the contractor, as verification.
• At completion of construction, 20% of materials in the project will be recycled content, and 20% will be provided regionally, reducing both waste and carbon emissions due to transportation.

The facility will also include a 36,000 square foot warehouse, an 11,000 square foot conditioned storage, a small fully conditioned guardhouse, covered fleet storage, material and equipment storage, and an outdoor service bay and bulk material storage bins.

For more information, contact the Public and Media Relations Department at 803-545-3020. To learn more about LEED, visit www.usgbc.org/leed.