Athens City Council is planning to approve $16 million to update the city’s wastewater facilities, and the Athens County commissioners are offering a solution that is said to cut the project’s price tag by $4 million.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Athens city officials several years ago addressing improvements needed for wastewater operations in the city.
Still, the city’s current wastewater facilities are up to code, said City Engineer and Director of Public Works Andrew Stone. The city’s facilities process an average of two million gallons of wastewater a day, Stone said.
“It (facilities) are difficult to keep maintained,” Stone said, adding that the upgrade requires many other additions to the facilities. The project, which is slated to start at the beginning of 2013, will last 18 to 24 months and cost taxpayers about $16 million.
City sewer customers will fund this project during a 20-year period. For more immediate funding, the city will apply for a Water Pollution Control Loan fund, which is a low-interest loan provided by the EPA.
Council members unanimously agreed that the upgrades are necessary.
“It’s not sexy stuff, but it needs to be done to better our community,” said Councilman Kent Butler, D-1st Ward.
The city will accept bids from private contractors in December, and whoever wins the bid will handle the construction and engineering aspects of the project.
But, a project presented to council by the Athens County commissioners would replace failing county septic systems — bound by West Route 50, Radford Road and Route 56 — by adding city wastewater facilities, which the commissioners say would save the city money.
“This could be a regional partnership for the city with environmental and financial benefits,” Athens County Commissioner Larry Payne said.
County officials would be forced to build their own wastewater facility if the city were to reject the commissioners’ offer, said Lenny Eliason, Athens County commissioner. He also estimated that the city would gain 1,345 additional customers if the project were accepted by the city.
“The major benefit (of the project) is a lower capital cost and a lower long-term operational cost,” Eliason said, adding that by joining with the county, the city could save $4 million in operational costs.
“This is ($4 million) you could have to take care of your existing problems,” he said. “We could do this without the city … the rest is up to you.”
But council members said they were wary of the city’s ability to control a wastewater system that was partially the county’s.
“Presently, I see this has a lot of potential upsides for the county and a lot of downsides for the city,” said Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th ward. “Potentially you could have a huge amount of development.”
The commissioners and City Council members decided to continue discussion of the project and all the concerns involved with it at a meeting on Oct. 24.
bm471311@ohiou.edu
