Ashley Getz, P.E., Associate Director of Engineering for Columbus City Utilities (CCU), recently delivered a presentation titled “Getting Things Done with Alternative Project Delivery,” at the Indiana Chapter of the American Water Works Association (INAWWA) 2025 Water Institute and Equipment Expo conference in French Lick, Indiana. The session focused on

Columbus City Utilities (CCU) celebrated the holiday season by participating in their first Columbus Festival of Lights Parade. The float served as both a festive display and an educational tool, featuring a scaled-down replica of CCU’s new water tank located near Deaver Road. To demonstrate the utility’s vital role in

Columbus City Utilities held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Deaver Road Water Tank and Booster Station on Wednesday, September 17th, 2025. This event represented a major milestone in CCU’s ongoing commitment to improving the city’s infrastructure and ensuring a safe, reliable water supply for the residents of Columbus,

The 2025 Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA) annual conference was a huge success for Columbus City Utilities. The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) won the Operations and Maintenance award and Safety award. Quality Control Lab won the Laboratory Excellence award. To be eligible for an award, IWEA committee members performed

Columbus City Utilities recently hosted campers for Columbus Parks & Recreation’s Dirty Jobs: Columbus Edition Camp. Campers got to dive into the world of water and wastewater treatment; learning about its importance, the process, and how to protect our valuable water resources through fun, interactive activities and hands-on learning. Campers

Columbus City Utilities Quality Control Lab receives Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA) Laboratory Excellence Award for the second consecutive year. The IWEA Laboratory Excellence Award recognizes those laboratories that demonstrate a high level of commitment to good laboratory practice and accurate data reporting.  The audit involved a 428-point inspection on

Columbus City Utilities Wastewater Treatment Plant receives 100% on their 2025 Safety Audit conducted by Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA). The audit consists of a 177-point inspection covering areas such as: training; documentation; emergency action plan; lab, plant, shop/maintenance & pre-treatment safety; biological; clarifiers; and disinfection. “I am incredibly proud

The Columbus City Utilities Annual Water Quality Report covering the period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 is now available. View the report to learn more about your drinking water. The URL link will be included on June bills to customers, and customers receiving a monthly electronic bill

Ashley Getz, Associate Director of Engineering, presented at the Indiana American Water Works Association (INAWWA) conference, in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 23, 2025. She presented “A Case Study in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Planning,” where she shared CCU's journey through the AMI planning process, highlighting their key takeaways and lessons

Ashley Getz presented at the national Utility Management conference, hosted by the Water Environment Federation and the American Water Works Association, in Dallas, Texas, in February. She presented “Managing the Public on Sensitive Issues – Case Studies,” where she reviewed CCU’s lessons learned from recent experience with public relations. She

Columbus City Utilities has been awarded the Hoosier Water Guardian Award with Distinction from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. CCU received this award for having “substantially implemented their wellhead protection plan.” The utility, its staff, planning team, and partners were commended for efforts in developing a comprehensive plan to

As part of Columbus City Utilities’ ongoing infrastructure improvement activities, the bowl of a new 2-million-gallon elevated water storage tank on Deaver Road was lifted into its final resting spot atop the 166 feet tall concrete and steel base, making the final height over 200 feet. The tank base

On November 11th – 14th, Columbus City Utilities (CCU) staff participated in the C4 Preparing for College and Careers fall tours. Students and teachers traveled to the Wastewater Treatment Plant for a facility tour to learn what the Utilities provides for our community and future career opportunities. CCU staff included

Columbus City Utilities sent two employees to the Midwest Damage Prevention Training Conference hosted by Indiana 811 in French Lick, Indiana on November 12 - 14. Those attending were Ashley Getz, Utilities Associate Director of Engineering and Kevin Blair, Utilities Engineering Supervisor. The annual conference enlists renowned safety speakers and

Chris Murray has been selected to fill the position of Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent replacing previous Superintendent, Travis Calhoun who was recently promoted to Associate Director of Operations. Chris was hired at the Utilities in 1999. He worked a few years in our Water Distribution department but has spent most

Columbus City Utilities is pleased to announce that Travis Calhoun has been selected to fill the position of Associate Director of Treatment Operations. Travis was hired at the Utilities in 2012 in the Water Distribution department and then transferred to the Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2013. Travis has held various

Property owners and other interested parties in the City of Columbus, Indiana (the “City”), are hereby notified that an ordinance (the “Rate Ordinance”), increasing the rates and charges for sewer services, was introduced at a meeting of the Common Council of the City (the “Common Council”) held on September 17,

L to R -Blaich Allen, Collection System Lead Equipment OperatorBrad Norris, Collection System SupervisorAshley Getz, Associate Director of EngineeringAngela Bowling, Quality Control SupervisorTravis Calhoun, Wastewater Plant Superintendent Columbus City Utilities and individual employees received several awards at the 2024 Indiana Wastewater Environment Association’s (IWEA) Annual Conference in Indianapolis

ANNOUNCEMENT As a Certified Laboratory, the QC Lab is required to participate in Proficiency Testing in water and wastewater annually.  QC Lab received the results for the 2024 Water Study.  We are excited to report that QC Lab staff received a Certificate of Excellence for achieving 100% acceptable data. BACKGROUND

Columbus City Utilities Quality Control Lab has passed its Indiana Wastewater Environment Association (IWEA) Laboratory Excellence Award Audit with a 99.8% grade. The IWEA Laboratory Excellence Award is awarded for outstanding achievement in the implementation of laboratory techniques and administration. It recognizes those laboratories that demonstrate a high level of

Columbus City Utilities  joins communities across North America in celebrating Drinking Water Week, an annual observance led by the American Water Works Association. Taking place May 5-11 this year, Drinking Water Week serves to highlight the importance of safe drinking water and recognize the tireless efforts of local water professionals

Ashley Getz, Columbus City Utilities’ Engineer has completed Phase 1 of the Certified Public Manager program through Ball State University. Phase 1 of the program enables students to learn the tools, techniques and concepts that help a public manager direct and manage personnel within the manager’s organization. The methods taught

With forecasted temperatures getting into the single digits over the weekend, Columbus City Utilities wants to recommend that its customers take precautions to prevent their home water lines becoming frozen. Leaving a small amount of water (no more than a pencil lead thickness) running in the faucet farthest from the

The Columbus City Utilities Quality Control Lab received the 2023 Laboratory of the Year award from the Southern Indiana Operators Association on November 29 at the SIOA meeting in Osgood, Indiana. The CCU lab is staffed with only 4 employees and ran over 18,500 laboratory tests for the city in

Columbus City Utilities employee, Chris Murray was awarded the Joe Taylor Spirit Award at this year’s Southern Indiana Operators Association (SIOA) meeting on November 29 in Osgood, Indiana. Chris has worked at CCU for 25 years and was selected as the 2023 recipient due to his commitment to CCU and

In May of this year, Columbus City Utilities employees participated in the IWEA (Indiana Water Environment Association) Wastewater Challenge in Lafayette. The team placed second overall and advanced to the Water Environment Federation’s WEFTEC in Chicago in October to participate in the 2023 Operations Challenge. A total of 55 US

Several Columbus City Utilities employees attended the Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA) conference in Fort Wayne on August 23 – 25. IWEA is an association dedicated to preserving and protecting Indiana’s waterways by educating its members and the citizens of Indiana about the importance of our water environment. Two Columbus

What are PFAS and why were they developed? These are chemical compounds initially designed in the 1940s to make life easier, better or safer. They have been used to fight fires and recover oil, and to produce medical equipment, food packaging, cleaning products, nonstick cookware, stain- and water-resistant coatings, paints,

DATE:                        July 27, 2023 TOPIC:                       Water Proficiency Study PURPOSE:                 Announcement of Quality Control (QC) Lab Results ANNOUNCEMENT As a Certified Laboratory, the QC Lab is required to participate in Proficiency Testing in water and wastewater annually.  QC Lab received the results for the 2023 Water Study.  We are excited to

Columbus City Utilities held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 7 for a new water storage tank that is being constructed at the former Walesboro airport property near the corner of Deaver Road and South CR 175W.  The new tank will be able to hold 2 million gallons of water and

The Indiana Wastewater Environment Association (IWEA) Wastewater Challenge is an event that happens once a year and brings operators and professionals from around the state to compete in seven different events in one day. These events test the skills, knowledge, and experience in various tasks that are involved with wastewater.

Jamie Brinegar has accepted the role of Manager of Business and Finance Operations and will be joining Columbus City Utilities on April 3. Jamie has extensive experience with 16 years of Risk Management, 18 years in Finance, and 7 years in Operations. Jamie previously served as the director for business

We welcomed Erin Johnson to Columbus City Utilities on March 20 as the new Manager of Treatment Operations. Erin came from the City of Connersville and has solid experience in both water and wastewater operations managing the daily operations and the maintenance of the Connersville water and wastewater plants. Erin

COLUMBUS, INDIANA – Columbus City Utilities recently completed renovations to its lobby and business office that has kept the lobby closed to customers since September 2022. Customers may now walk into the building for face-to-face service or continue to use the drive-thru, phone, or online services. The renovation project included

Travis Calhoun has been hired as Columbus City Utilities’ Wastewater Plant Superintendent. He began working at the Utilities in June 2012 in the Water Distribution department and transferred to the Wastewater Treatment Plant in September 2013. Travis is involved in Southern Indiana Operator’s Association (SIOA) and was a previous president

Mark Joslin retired from Columbus City Utilities on 12/13/2022 after 43 years of service. He began working at our Wastewater Treatment Plant in 1979 and held the same position during his 43 years of service, which made him the local expert in Wastewater Treatment Operations. It is estimated he has

On December 7, 2022, Columbus City Utilities (CCU) was once again awarded the Plant of the Year honors by the Southern Indiana Operators Association (SIOA) at their annual meeting. The award was presented to CCU in recognition of the excellence displayed at its wastewater plant, located on South Jonesville Road

At its Annual Meeting on August 18, the Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA) awarded its Operator of the Year Award to Columbus City Utilities’ own Randy Duckworth. The award was given in recognition of his “long-standing contribution to the success of his Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF), service that goes

Columbus City Utilities will be open for modified hours beginning May 23 through August 5, 2022. Regular hours will resume on Monday, August 8, 2022. Lobby Hours: 7:00 am – 4:00 pm Drive-up Window Hours: 7:00 – 5:00 pm

On May 1, Columbus City Utilities and its partners throughout North America will kick off Drinking Water Week celebrations by showcasing the different ways tap water is “There When You Need It.” Drinking Water Week is May 1-7 this year. Columbus City Utilities is observing Drinking Water Week by recognizing

Columbus City Utilities has released its 2021 Annual Report. The report outlines accomplishments by the utility in the last year, as well as upcoming planned projects. Download/View the Annual Report Print copies are available by request by calling the Columbus City Utilities office at (812) 372-8861.

The Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA) recently awarded its first Operator Spotlight to Columbus City Utilities’ own Travis Calhoun. The award was given in recognition of “extraordinary talent, enthusiasm, and commitment to the water environment industry”. Calhoun has served Columbus City Utilities for over 9 years, and currently serves as

On December 8, 2021, Columbus City Utilities (CCU) was awarded the Plant of the Year honors by the Southern Indiana Operators Association (SIOA) at their annual meeting in Franklin, Indiana. The award was presented to CCU in recognition of the excellence displayed at its wastewater plant, located on South Jonesville

Story originally published on November 3, 2021 by The Republic newspaper After eight months of searching, Columbus City Utilities has appointed a new director. The department announced Tuesday that Nashville Utility Service Board President Roger Kelso has been chosen for the position. He has more than 45 years of