Officials say a new water treatment plant in Millfield will create long-term health and economic benefits for the plant's service areas, which include Athens.
The Burr Oak Regional Water District received a $9 million loan from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and an additional $5 million of federal stimulus money to fund the $13.8 million project, Ohio EPA Director Chris Korleski announced last week at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The project could potentially create about 35 jobs until completion in the spring of 2011, according to an Ohio EPA press release. The new ground water system will serve more than 13,600 households in areas of Athens, Hocking, Perry and Morgan counties.
But the most important thing is
we're taking care of a drinking water issue that's been around for a long time Korleski said.
State officials invested in the project because the district's current surface water system is exposed to more environmental elements than a ground water system would be, said Rex Haggy, environmental specialist for Ohio EPA's Department of Drinking Water.
Surface water systems are more prone to contamination from disinfection byproducts, which can lead to long-term health effects such as cancer, Haggy said.
Those byproducts form when chlorine, used during the treatment process, reacts with leaves, plants and other organic matter prevalent in surface water such as Burr Oak Lake.
The district's current treatment plant is the only surface water facility of the 16 plants in Athens County, said Janet Barth, environmental manager of Ohio EPA's Department of Drinking Water.
The plant is at its maximum holding capacity, but the new ground water system will be twice as large as the current system, Barth said. That will allow the plant's satellite systems, which purchase water from the main plant, to expand without pulling water away from one another.
With the additional water that will be available they can attract more businesses in as well
she said.
Officials planned the project to create new jobs and ensure that residents of the Burr Oak Water District have safe drinking water, Korleski said.
This is just big progress and a huge win
he said.
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Laura Service
