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EPA approves plan: Wapak must replace sewer line, build basin |
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Tuesday, 17 November 2009 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials last week tentatively approved a plan submitted by Wapakoneta city administrators to deal with the downtown’s combined sewer overflows to help eliminate raw sewage from entering the Auglaize River.
The price tag: $17 million.
During Monday’s Wapakoneta City Council meeting, Mayor Rodney Metz said this is the plan state EPA officials identified as the one the city must install after lengthy negotiations between city administrators, representatives from the city’s consulting firm CH2M Hill and state EPA officials.
Safety-Service Director Bill Rains explained the long-term control plan requires extensive work along the Auglaize River from the Wapakoneta Wastewater Treatment Plant on Herb Street through the downtown area to Water Street.
“Last week the EPA acquiesced to a replacement of the south interceptor from the Wapakoneta Wastewater Treatment Plant to Water Street and to one equalization basin as opposed to three equalization basins,” Rains told councilors. “They did so with the understanding after two years of planning and getting the proper right-of-ways that we will start construction sometime in 2012 and we were given three years to construct the system.
“They are allowing us the rest of the time to evaluate what the replacement of the interceptor and equalization basin will mean to the city’s sanitary and stormwater sewer system,” he said. “We tried to come to an understanding that instead of a $30 million program that we could install a $17 million system.”
The equalization basin is to be built at the plant and is to hold combined sanitary and stormwater until it can be treated. An earlier plan had three equalization basins at different locations between Water Street and the plant.
During Monday’s meeting, councilors approved an ordinance for city administrators to submit a final long-term control plan to the EPA. EPA officials sent a letter to city administrators on Nov. 9 noting the long-term control plan meets their standards and could be submitted for official approval.
Councilor-at-large and Finance Committee Chair Wilbur Wells said he plans for the city to finance the improvements over the next 32 years and he is trying to make it palatable for Wapakoneta residents.
“There will have to be an increase in sewer rates to pay for the mandated improvements, but we have not yet discussed that amount,” Wells said. “Since it will take 12 years to complete the project, we will try to pay down as much of the debt as we can as we go then whatever amount of debt is left after those 12 years we will finance.
“I am trying to lessen the burden on consumers and taxpayers as much as I can as well as trying to keep the rates as low as possible,” he said. “Literally, I am stretching the financing of the project from 12 years to 32 years.”
The councilor-at-large said he also is pushing for a separate line item on utility bills so consumers know how much of their bill is going toward the EPA-mandated improvement.
Rains said crews are currently evaluating the south interceptor.
“We are moving forward with this and televising the south interceptor, and crews are assessing the system right now so we know the general condition of the south interceptor when we get started,” Rains said. “The EPA was very agreeable to work with on the long-term control plan, and we believe that this is an option that the city and the EPA can agree with and move forward on.
“I know this is expensive, I know this is costing the city $17 million,” he said, “but this is better than the alternative which had an engineer’s estimate of $30 million.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 November 2009 )
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