News release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10, 2012

City of Cayces new wastewater treatment plant begins operation; agreement reached on cost-sharing
Cayces new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant is officially up and running, the result of more than a decade of collaboration by local municipalities. The 25-million-gallon-per-day facility replaces the old wastewater plant, built in the early 1970s, and offers the latest technology to protect the environment. The facility was constructed with the rapid growth of Lexington County in mind. It is designed to meet the wastewater needs of the region for the next 30 years and beyond. Another major milestone for the new plant came tonight when City of Cayce leaders finalized a resolution outlining how costs will be shared with the facilitys customers, the Town of Lexington and the Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission, which serves the central and southern unincorporated areas of Lexington County. The three parties signed an amendment to the Wastewater Services Agreement, setting up a formula for how operating costs will be divided. The amendment is the result of ongoing negotiation over two years. Cayce City Manager Rebecca Rhodes said that she is pleased with the new agreement because it will help Cayce handle the costs of operating the new plant, while also being fair to purchasers of its services. We worked hard to come up with an equitable approach that divides the direct and indirect costs of operating the facility among the purchasers and reflects the unique demands placed on the system by each party, Rhodes explained. The opening of our new wastewater plant is a major step in driving economic development and job creation in Lexington County, said Cayce Mayor Elise Partin. Cayce is the regional wastewater services provider, but we wanted be sure our citizens were not subsidizing the new plant. We also wanted to address the concerns of the Town and Commission. I am very pleased that, under the agreement, all of the municipalities benefitting from the new plant have found a fair cost-sharing formula, so no one bears an undue burden. I want to thank the City of Cayce leaders and those of the Joint Water and Sewer Commission for their understanding and I appreciate the partnership formed as we worked through this agreement, said Lexington Mayor Randy Halfacre. I am proud that we have laid the foundation for economic prosperity in Lexington County for the next 30-

plus years. Also, this agreement allows us to stabilize our rate structure for the foreseeable future. We are extremely excited that our new plant is officially in service and that all of the parties involved are moving forward together, Rhodes said. This is an excellent example of what we can do with regional collaboration. Our new wastewater treatment plant is truly about the future of Lexington County. Downloadable photos of tonights resolution signing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/claremorrisagency/8075481542/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/claremorrisagency/8075481718/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/claremorrisagency/8075481908/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/claremorrisagency/8075482048/

City of Cayce w 1800 Twelfth Street w P.O. Box 2004 w Cayce, South Carolina 29171-2004 Telephone: (803) 796-9020 Fax: (803) 796-9072 www.cityofcayce-sc.gov