COLUMBIA, S.C. — A $34 million water system improvement project is set to start in the Rosewood area this fall. Columbia Water said after more than 70 years, the Rosewood area is getting much-needed upgrades that customers could see as soon as 2025.
"It's funny, like sometimes I turn the sprinkler on in the yard and there barely comes out. We have a couple of showers in the house, and i really notice the differences so water pressure," Rosewood resident Scarlett Herbkersman said of the water in her home near Rosewood Drive.
It's something Columbia Water said is at the top of its list for its latest infrastructure improvement project.
"This is the first step, which is a $12 million investment in an overall $34 million estimated investment that the city will see in the coming years. Columbia Assistant City Manager Clint Shealy said. "So, this first phase is to replace a portion of the water infrastructure in the Rosewood community."
Shealy said phase one is from Rosewood Drive down to Maple Street. Columbia Water will replace and reinforce old pipe materials.
"This is strictly dealing with our water distribution piping. So, the reason we selected the Rosewood community as the next on our infrastructure improvement list was based on the frequency of water main breaks that we have, the age of the water distribution materials in that community we're talking 75-80 years," the assistant city manager said.
Shealy said the most significant changes residents can expect are better water pressure, fewer water main breaks in the winter, and better overall water quality.
Herbkersman said while she's excited about the improvements, she's not thrilled about how long it will take, with construction expected to be complete in Spring 2025. "I guess you have to live through some inconveniences to make things better, and I know it will take a while, but it will be a good thing in the long run," she said.
Construction on phase one is expected to begin this fall. According to Columbia Water, Phase Two starts in Spring 2024 and is expected to finish in the fall of 2026. Phase three is expected to start in Fall 2024 and is estimated to be complete by Spring 2027.
If you'd like to know if you will be impacted, you can head to this link.