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The W.Va. 10 Sanitary Sewer Extension project will extend sewer services to the Hite-Saunders Elementary School and approximately 53 residences in Green Valley Heights and approximately 275 additional homes and businesses in the vicinity of W.Va. 10 between Green Valley Road and the existing Hal Greer #4 Lift Station.

The project will intercept wastewater that currently flows into four package wastewater plants and divert it into the new gravity sewer mains, to decommission the existing Garden Farms Lift station and divert flows from its catchment area into the new extension on Norwood Road. It also will construct drainage zones and install nine grinder pump stations to pump wastewater from low-lying homes into the gravity system, upgrading the existing Hal Greer #4 Pump Station to increase its pump rate and accommodate increased flow.

Huntington Sanitary Board Executive Director Brian Bracey told The Herald-Dispatch in June that the majority of homes in the area are unserviced by sewer.

The Department of Health and Human Services Resources has had concerns about how and if people maintain their systems, Bracey said.

Bracey said because of that high price of aeration system ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” $15,000 to $18,000 ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” many people do not upgrade them as much as they should. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) approached the sanitary board between four and five years ago about several failing systems along W.Va. 10.

Many of the homesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ and businessesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ package plants and aerations systems were failing or needed replaced, Bracey said, and the sanitary boardÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s expansion into the area is a safer and cheaper option for Hite-Saunders Elementary School and surrounding neighborhoods.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œNumber one, theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re not having to reinvest in their own property with large sums of money at one time,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Bracey said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIt allows (current) businesses to expand and other businesses an opportunity to consider coming out in the county and (opening) a business now ... without sewage you donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t get cities; you donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t get the development.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Bracey anticipates the contractor to be in place by the end of this year and construction to start the beginning of 2025. Bracey said he estimates the first phase of the project to cost approximately $14 million and the second phase to cost roughly $10 million. The first phase is expected to hook up 325 homes and the elementary school, Bracey said.

Funding from the project comes from the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council, the Cabell County Commission and other grant funds.

Bids for both projects will be open until 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 and should be sent to the Huntington Water Quality Board office at 555 7th Ave. Bids received will be opened and read at 2:30 p.m.

The 3rd and 5th Avenue Sanitary/Storm Water Separation project will allow faster drainage in the streets, which will help mitigate flooding, Bracey told The Herald-Dispatch in 2023.

Bracey said lack of separate storm and sanitary water lines makes places such as the Highlawn neighborhood and much of Huntington more prone to flooding due to the stormwater running into the cityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s wastewater treatment plant, which can back up when heavy rains hit the city.