ONTARIO ─ The City of Ontario has sent out a clarification about its ongoing wastewater treatment plant project with February’s water bill.
“We want to get the facts out,” Mayor Randy Hutchinson said.
Some Ontario residents and businesses have received a flyer or letter addressing the concern about the project. Hutchinson said the document contained inaccurate information and some people thought it came from the city. The administration had to clarify it.
Ontario’s clarification about the wastewater treatment plant project
Ontario has tentatively decided to build the plant at the west end of Nussbaum Parkway. It is part of the Ontario industrial park and close to Touby Run. Ontario Service-Safety director Jeffrey Wilson said the city owns 11 acres of land in that area and the water treatment facility will likely take less than three acres.
Ontario: wastewater treatment plant will not significantly increase Touby Run’s water level
The circulated letter from the citizen said Ontario will be using a “combined sewage collection system.” Hutchinson clarified that the city is trying to build a plant dedicated to wastewater treatment. The operation will only cause very little change in Touby Run’s water level, he said.
In its response, the city said the plant’s peak rate of discharged water flow will only represent at most 3 percent of the flow rate conveyed by the creek during a 100-year storm event, according to a hydraulic analysis from Poggemeyer Design Group.
Wilson said 3 percent is about one inch of depth in terms of flow.
Ontario: the project will save people money
The citizen’s letter questioned if the project would save people money. It said the city will not start to see the water price decrease for at least 40 years after the plant is built.
The city disputed the claim and said it would expect an annual cost savings of about $1 million at the first full year of the facility’s operation, which might be 2026. It acknowledged that the estimate depends on the amount of government funding that Ontario could receive.
The estimate was also based on that the City of Mansfield will increase the rate as anticipated. Mansfield has processed Ontario’s wastewater for years.
Wilson said the annual savings would increase every year and could be about $7 million at year 30 of operation.
“There’s no question that it’s a significant opportunity to save money, based on language in our current contract with Mansfield,” he said.
Ontario: design of the facility will follow the latest code
Possible hygiene issues resulted from the plant were among the citizen’s concerns. Ontario responded by saying the treatment process will minimize the aerosols. The facility will contain odors at the beginning of the process and filter them through activated carbon filters.
In response to malfunctions or mechanical failures, the city said backup equipment will be ready on-site, including a standby power generator capable of providing electricity for the entire plant. In addition, a supervisory control and data acquisition system will notify the plant operators of any malfunctions in real-time.
The circulated letter also mentioned the concrete tanks used to process wastewater might develop cracks and eventually contaminate underlying soils and groundwater.
The city said the concrete tanks’ design follows the latest Code Requirements for Environmental Engineering Concrete Structures and Commentary from American Concrete Institute.
The code addresses tank leaking problems and requires specific amounts of reinforcing steel, which will minimize cracking and keep joints tight.
Hutchinson said Ontario will hold a public hearing for the wastewater treatment plant after the gathering restriction is lifted. Residents can send their questions and concern to info@ontarioohio.org.
