In late February, some water customers in northern Warren County, mainly villages and towns, should be able to stop using household water softening systems.

According to Warren County Sanitation Engineer Chris Brausch, in the past year, Warren County has been upgrading its water softening system as part of its Franklin area and a $37.4 million expansion project for the Richard A. Renneker Water Treatment Plant.

"This is the primary requirement of our customers to improve our service level," Brausch said. "This is also the largest single water supply project in the county's history."

He said that many of the water systems in the area, such as Dayton, Cincinnati, Middletown, Hamilton, and the Western Water System, have water quality softer than those in Warren County. The goal of the project is to reduce water hardness to the point where residents do not have to operate a household water softening system. Harder water will wear out water heaters and other electrical appliances more quickly.

Chris Wojnicz, deputy director of water affairs, said the two projects are nearing completion and the budget is insufficient. He said that the project cost of the Franklin plant was US$15.1 million, and the cost of the Richard W. Renneker plant near Little Miami River was US$22.3 million, a total of US$37.4 million, which was far lower than the initial estimate of US$54 million.

Wojnicz said that the nanomembrane softening system in the new building will physically capture and remove small molecules and multivalent ions, including calcium and magnesium ions, which are the main components of water hardness.

Wojnicz said that the most advanced technology does not require the addition of sodium or other chemicals to the water treatment. He said that the process of reducing the hardness will be carried out gradually and should be completed by the end of February 2022.

The upgrade will result in a grain reduction of approximately 55% per gallon, reducing the water hardness of the more than 30,000 customers served at these two locations. Brausch said that the funding for the project came from cash reserves and a low-interest loan of $15.3 million from the Ohio Water Resources Development Agency.

"People prefer soft water because it doesn't affect appliances such as refrigerators, water heaters, and dishwashers," Blausch said.

However, Wojnicz said that too soft water can also affect copper pipes. He said that once the factory starts to soften the water, residents with home softeners can eventually retire.

Wojnicz said water customers can temporarily put their systems in bypass mode for a few weeks to determine if they need to further soften the water. He said that residents who choose to keep the soft water system after February will need to recalibrate to adapt to the soft water supply.

The expansion project of the Franklin District Water Treatment Plant on Twp. Shirley Street in Franklin is about to be completed and is expected to start operations in January. The plant produces water for the towns of Clearcreek, Franklin, Turtlecreek, and Wayne; part of Deerfield Twp. North of Bethany Road; parts of Middletown, Corwin, Harrisburg and Hunter.

It does not include municipalities that have their own water supply systems, such as Franklin, Springboro, Lebanon, and Waynesville.

According to Springboro City Manager Chris Pozzuto, Springboro City Council has authorized staff to begin the process of designing a new water softening plant for city-wide water softening. He said that the design will start at the end of 2022 or early 2023.

Franklin City Manager Jonathan Westendorf (Jonathan Westendorf) said that there are no plans to soften the water in the Franklin City's water supply system in the short term.

The Renneker plant serves other customers who are not served by the municipal water supply system near southern Warren County.

Wojnicz said that in addition to the factory expansion, the county is also working on a project to expand its water mains in the next three to four years, at a cost of more than 9 million U.S. dollars. He said the project is expected to be completed in 2025, when the county's contract with the Greater Cincinnati Water Plant expires.

Ed Richter has been working as a journalist for 35 years. Over the past 30 years, he has held various positions including journalists and editors in Butler County and Warren County. As an award-winning journalist, Richter reports on local news and government in Middletown, Monroe, Franklin, Carlisle and Franklin Twp.