CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (WDRB) -- The City of Charlestown just received millions of dollars to go toward a new wastewater treatment plant.
Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority presented the $5 million check to the city in early November. Funding comes from Indiana's Regional Economic Acceleration and Develop Initiative, or READI program.
Through READI, the state encourages counties, cities, and towns to partner to create a shared vision for the future.
The money will help keep rates down by saving users $15 each month, according to the city.
"It's not the coolest of projects on the daily roster of 'Hey, my city's awesome,' but anything that saves our rate payers that amount of money, it should matter," said Mayor Treva Hodges.
Hodges said the overall cost of a new wastewater treatment plant is around $40 million, and getting money now will save Charlestown residents from rate hikes in the future.
"For every five million dollars we're able to get in special funding for this plant, it saves our rate payers $15 a month," she said.
This specific $5 million check will go toward construction, particularly concrete costs. Hodges said River Ridge Development Authority has already announced a $12 million contribution toward the project.
Hodges said much of River Ridge has been built closer to Jeffersonville, but is now expanding to the Charlestown area and this new wastewater treatment plant is necessary for future growth.
"Until it stops working, you don't think about it," she said. "But with infrastructure being neglected for the past 20 years or so and needing to build an entirely new plant and double our capacity for the growth that's coming into the commerce center and residential areas, I mean, this is huge."
Hodges said the current wastewater treatment plant offers two million gallons each day of wastewater capacity. The new plant will double that, and have the foundation to expand to eight million gallons as needed in the future.
Construction is expected to begin in 2023.
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