Alabama officials break ground for new Owens Cross Roads sewage treatment plant

City, state and federal officials broke ground on November 1, 2024, for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Owens Cross Roads that will replace the city’s old, outdated and overwhelmed treatment plant.

The project is funded by a grant and loan from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) totaling more than $10 million.

The new treatment plant will enable the city to not only meet the needs of its 2,631 residents but also accommodate new customers in the fast-growing suburb south of Huntsville, Alabama.

Among those joining ADEM and Owens Cross Roads city officials at the groundbreaking were state Rep. Ritchie Whorton, state sen. Wes Kitchens, Madison County Commissioner Craig Hill, and representatives for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 and U.S. Rep. Dale Strong’s district office.

“For the past decade, the city of Owens Cross Roads has faced significant challenges with our wastewater system,” Mayor Tony Craig said in a press release. “Despite implementing various projects to reduce infiltration and inflow in the collection system and upgrading the existing plant, we have been unable to meet the increasing demands of our growing community.”

City officials say the 40-year-old sewer system has been plagued by the infiltration and inflow of stormwater into its sewer lines and lacks the capacity to treat the wastewater from its current residents and businesses.

Out of necessity, about 60% of the city’s sewage volume is pumped into Huntsville’s sewer system.

Huntsville, facing increased sewer demand because of its own continued growth, will need to terminate its arrangement with Owens Cross Roads in the future.

ADEM is funding the Owens Cross Roads project with a $7.3 million grant from Alabama’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and $3 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The ARPA funding was allocated to ADEM by the Alabama Legislature in 2022 and 2023.

The new wastewater treatment plant is being built next to the city’s old treatment plant on Sneed Avenue.