Thursday, March 13, 2025–11:00 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Design work for Rome’s new reverse osmosis water treatment facility continues, and members of the water and sewer committee got an update on Wednesday from InSite Engineering and Archer Western, the construction manager at-risk.
The water plant is being paid for using funds from a settlement with carpet manufacturers, chemical companies, and others regarding Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Oostanaula River, Rome’s primary water source. The chemicals are widely used to make carpets and other items stain-resistant and have been linked to numerous adverse health impacts.
With reverse osmosis, pressure forces water through a semi-permeable membrane. The contaminants are removed, and what remains is treated water.
The design work for the RO facility is about 30 percent completed, according to Rome Water and Sewer Division Director John Boyd, who was a guest on Thursday’s First News with Doug Walker on WRGA.
The project was planned to go into construction by the end of this calendar year, but now it appears it will be in the second quarter of 2026. However, you could see some activity at the site before then.
“As we make decisions on the RO equipment and the other equipment that supports the RO, then we can go ahead and begin some further designs that can also kick off construction,” Boyd said.
The plant has to be in operation by April of 2029, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new water quality standards start being enforced. That standard for PFAS is four parts per trillion, which is the lowest level that labs can test for–essentially a non-detect.
“There’s a lot of chatter now with the changes in Washington, but I ultimately do not think the deadline will change,” Boyd added. “We are very well situated. Our neighboring facilities in Calhoun are dealing with a similar situation. We are ahead of them. We also have neighbors over in Alabama in Gadsden. They are about eight months ahead of us. So, we are in a good, sweet spot of learning from what’s going on in Alabama and being able to share what we’ve learned from them and for ourselves with Calhoun.”
InSite is also assisting East Morgan West Lawrence Water and Sewer Authority with a new filtration plant on the Tennessee River.
“That situation is a lot different,” Boyd said. “They actually had Daiken and 3M above their intake on the Tennessee River. For us, ground zero is being downstream from the carpet mills. For them, ground zero was being downstream from the chemical manufacturers.”
The Rome City Commission has set a maximum $200 million for the reverse osmosis facility, which will be located on Riverside Parkway.