Columbus water plant construction uses controlled blasts, raising local concerns

DELAWARE, Ohio (WSYX) — Construction is underway for a new water plant in Concord Township, and it’s making quite a noise. Columbus Water is conducting controlled and engineered blasting at the Home Road Water Plant project site to pave the way for the plant’s foundation.

The blasts have startled some local residents and businesses.

“We are in a very old building built in the 1800s, so I am concerned,” said the owner of Coastline Coffee, located just across the street from the construction site. “There’s some cracks in here, and we do have a lot of equipment and a lot of glass.”

Columbus Water stated that blasting is the most efficient and cost-effective method to remove rock. Blasting may be heard and even felt near the construction site, but the city assures that vibration levels will be closely monitored to ensure they remain within acceptable industry and regulatory limits.

The owner of Coastline Coffee compared the rumblings to a California earthquake, saying, “I would say like a 4.0 to a 4.5 on that scale.”

Concerns have been raised about glassware and bottles of wine potentially falling and breaking during the blasts.

“They said they were going to do one loud siren and then a series of smaller ones before they did the blasts,” she said. “With the music going and the people talking, and talking to the employees, we may have just missed them.”

Blasting is scheduled to continue through the spring of 2026, with construction expected to be completed by 2030.

The new Home Road water plant will be the city’s first new water facility since the 1980s and is designed to meet the needs of a growing central Ohio population, projected to exceed three million by 2050. The plant will incorporate cutting-edge, environmentally sustainable technology to provide clean, safe drinking water.