Holgate Council reviews EPA feedback on water evaluation

HOLGATE — Council Monday heard a presentation from an engineering firm that’s performing an evaluation of the village’s water system.

The village is under findings and orders from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), and part of that process was to have an evaluation performed of its water treatment plant. Wessler Engineering recently concluded that evaluation, which centered on building a new plant or purchasing water from a regional supplier such as Napoleon. Council has not yet decided on which direction it will go.

Village Administrator Jessi Randall said representatives from Wessler Engineering shared the EPA comments on the submitted study and the agency is requiring a corrosion control study before approving the plan. Randall explained that study is being required to ensure that, if the water source is switched to, for example, Napoleon, there will not be any chemical reactions when the different water comes into contact with the village’s existing water mains.

However, Randall said there were mixed feelings on behalf of the village’s elected officials on where the water would be purchased from if council decides to go that route instead of building a new plant. Randall said Napoleon was recommended in the study because it was the closest and the cheapest option, but council could decide to purchase from another entity. Since the corrosion control study can’t be performed until a new water source is selected to sample for the tests, that decision would need to be made first. However, making that decision would not commit council to purchasing water at that point as it could still ultimately decide to construct a new plant.

Council tasked Wessler Engineering to look at rates and figures from multiple surrounding entities that the village could purchase from and prepare sample water bills for comparison. A public meeting to discuss those figures will then be scheduled to review that information and receive feedback from residents.

Fiscal Officer Sally Briggs said council approved a quote of $14,905 for Rural Community Assistance Partnership to perform a water and sewer rate survey, with council member Jamie Hohenberger voting against. Briggs said the survey will be needed before applications can be completed for the upcoming water project.

In another water-related matter, Briggs said council accepted a quote of $6,000 to build a new bottom floor where the aerator is housed at the water treatment plant. Randall said there is currently a small leak that is not causing any issues now but could develop into a problem in the future, so it’s being addressed.

Also, Randall provided an update on a water quality issue that has been occurring.

At the previous council meeting, Randall explained a blower fan, which is what removes the hydrogen sulfide from the water, was only working intermittently and the situation was also worsened by the dry weather. That fan was replaced and related electrical items were repaired.

On Tuesday, Randall said they drained the ground storage tank, overflowed the water tower and flushed the entire system three complete times.

“It should be out of the system now,” Randall said. “We just completed that (Monday), so I’m still waiting for public feedback.”

Council also:

•Informed residents fall cleanup will be Sept. 18-20 from 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. at the former swimming site. Those disposing of items might be asked to show identification to prove they are residents of the village.

•Decided to gather more information on RITA (Regional Income Tax Agency).

•The village office will be closed Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 4.

Council’s next meeting will be Sept. 11.

Log In

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.