SALEM — The utilities commission awarded the department’s annual chemical contracts in its February meeting.

Each year the department awards the new contracts in February, and this year’s contracts will see several prices increase slightly. 

Jones Chemical was the low bidder for chlorine again this year with a price of $1,750 per ton, a decrease of $30 or approximately 1.68% per ton from last year’s price of $1,780. The department will also see a decrease in its cost for ferric chloride which was awarded to the lone bidder Bonded Chemical at a cost of $1,231 per ton, $7.35 or 0.59% less than the $1,238.35 the department paid in 2025.

Not all the costs fell this year, with Mid-Ohio Valley being awarded the contract for hydrate lime at a cost of $339 per ton, an approximately 6.27% increase from $319 per ton in 2025, and Bonded Chemical being awarded to contract for potassium permanganate at a cost of $284 per 100 pounds, an approximately 1.49% increase from $280.59 per 100 pounds in 2025. 

The contract for hydrofluorosilicic acid was awarded to PBS Chemical for $36 per 100 pounds, an approximately 6.18% increase from $33.90 in 2025. Commission Chair Bob Hodgson said that despite the increase, the highest bid for hydrate lime came in at “almost double” Bonded Chemical’s price.

The commissioners also voted unanimously to award the contract for polymer to SNF Incorporated at a cost of $1.37 per pound with the stipulation that the product works as intended. Utilities Superintendent Butch Donnalley explained that the stipulation was needed as polymer can be idiosyncratic and cause issues with equipment if it doesn’t work as intended.

The utilities commission will meet next at 3 p.m. on March 19.