By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
For years now, the Northwestern Water and Sewer District has stretched water and sewer lines to the last communities to get services in Wood County. Now, the problem is maintaining all those miles of underground lines.
This year, the water and sewer district has identified $8.5 million in water projects and $17 million in sewer projects that need work. Most of those costs for sewers are for maintaining existing lines and pump stations. And much of the water costs are for increasing water quality by looping lines and putting in aeration, according to district engineer Tom Stalter, who gave a report Thursday to the Wood County Commissioners.
“They don’t bring us anymore customers,” but the improvements strengthen services, Stalter said of the maintenance projects.
The district is currently working on extending Bowling Green water to Bloomdale, in the southeastern corner of the county.
“So we can abandon that decrepit water plant,” Stalter said of the aging Bloomdale plant. The village is plagued with very high sulfur, he said. Recently, a water line break occurred while Stalter was in Bloomdale. “You could smell where the water break was.”
The waterline is currently under construction, and will make Bowling Green water available to people along the route. “We’ll reach out to all the folks along the line to see if they want to connect,” Stalter said.
With the increasing concerns about water quality, the district is also planning to add more bulk water stations in the county, in places like Middleton Township and near the Chrysler plant in Perrysburg Township.
“We sell a lot of water that way,” Stalter said.
One of the major waterline maintenance projects this year involves the aging East Broadway line in northern Wood County. The problem area is 13 miles of concrete waterline in Perrysburg Township and Rossford.
The concrete line is about 40 years old, “and it does start to rot and corrode.”
Stalter said a lot of leaks are occurring along the line. “This could be a large liability for us if it failed.”
The plan is to insert a hardening liner inside the concrete line to keep it from leaking.
Overall the district is experiencing a 20 percent water loss from its lines, so a program is being set up to address the problems. Since the district doesn’t have its own water treatment system, but buys water from other entities and distributes it in district lines, the water loss adds up to about $1 million a year for the district, Stalter said.
Stalter also updated the county commissioners on the latest sewer projects. An extension of sewer lines along Rudolph Road is meeting the order from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I’ve never had a project where people are so happy and agreeable,” Stalter said.
Efforts are also being made on a $2.4 million wastewater collection and treatment plant in Bairdstown, and in the unincorporated clusters of homes in Sugar Ridge, and on Huffman and Kramer roads. Stalter said the EPA has been asked to put those projects on hold until some funding can be found to help with the costs. Otherwise, the household costs will be between $100 and $150 a month.
An upgrade is planned for the sewer line on Tracy Road which is starting to deteriorate. It will cost an estimated $2.5 million to put a lining in, Stalter said.
The Colony pump station project in Rossford, which will cost an estimated $3.6 million, is very complex and is continuing to cause “major problems,” he added.
Other sewer work is also planned in Millbury, Tontogany, Williamsburg on the River, and to Eastwood School District.
Stalter also reported to the county commissioners that several water studies are being undertaken, and should be released soon.
