Thursday, October 31, 2019
City begins $15 million project to renew the heart of its drinking water system
The City of Westminster is investing $15 million to rehabilitate the High Service Pump Station, the facility responsible for delivering 80% of the water used in the city. This project will replace aging equipment and add additional backup generator capacity to increase reliability during a power outage.
The High Service Pump Station pumps water from the Semper Drinking Water Treatment Facility to the city’s network of 550 miles of pipes and 11 storage tanks and has operated continuously since 1996. This facility isn’t the city’s oldest piece of infrastructure, but was prioritized because of its criticality to the system, the need to replace aging equipment and vulnerability in case of a power outages.
Construction at the High Service Pump Station will begin by the end of 2019 and will be complete by the end of 2021 with no impact to water service anticipated throughout the duration of the project.
This project is one example of how the city is investing in its existing infrastructure today to stop the decline of its infrastructure. If the city doesn’t reinvest, and the condition of Westminster’s existing infrastructure continues to decline, our community will face increased maintenance costs and more expensive repairs in the future. Residents and businesses would also experience more water outages, sewer backups and possible water quality concerns.
Westminster is investing over $144 million in water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects in 2019 and 2020 and over $300 million in projects over the next five years. These investments are critical to providing reliable service and maintaining the condition of our infrastructure.