By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
It took more than just turning on the tap to get Northwestern Water and Sewer District going.
The speakers at the district’s 30th anniversary celebration Tuesday didn’t harp on the opposition the district faced in its inception. Instead the speakers, several of whom were there at the beginning, focused on the people who served as midwives for the entity.
Rex Huffman, the district’s legal counsel, remembered that they had a Columbus-based attorney just to handle litigation, and there was a lot.
Local officials and their constituents had concerns about control, recalled Linda Amos, who was county administrator at the time. They had concerns about their employees. They had concerns about costs.
But they also had pipes badly corroded because of the sulphur in the water. They were facing increased scrutiny by the EPA over wastewater. And customers in the county had 21 different water rates.
There was also opposition from the City of Toledo and the Toledo Municipal Area Council of Governments, said Jerry Greiner, the district executive director.
But the commissioners at the time — Marilyn Baker, who spoke at the ceremony, and the late Alvie Perkins and Leonard Stevens — were “forward thinking” and saw the needs facing the county then and in the future, Amos said.
When the founding documents went before Common Pleas Court Judge Chuck Kurfess, only the county commissioners and one township had signed on.
Kurfess approved it anyway.
He envisioned how the county would develop in the future, said Jack Jones, an engineer who at the time worked for Poggemeyer Design Group.
The commissioners created a non-profit, independent entity.
The district is now, Huffman said, “the gold standard for how to handle water and sewer.”
The district serves 20,000 customers in 33 townships and other municipalities throughout Wood County and including some in Lucas, Hancock and Sandusky counties.
It was founded in 1994, and it has been a key player in the industrial and commercial development.
Soon, though the timetable is uncertain, it will be literally surrounded by another major development. A $750 million data center, known only as the Accordion Project, is set to built on the 720 acres of former farmland that surround the NWWS headquarters on 582 in Middleton Township.
Construction is set to begin soon on a roundabout at the district’s entrance, and on a turn lane across Route 25 from the district offices. Greiner said the start date, as with so much else about the project, is still a mystery.
[RELATED: Roundabout construction to begin soon to access new data center north of BG]
On Tuesday, the headquarter’s grounds were transformed into a carnival with bounce houses, mini-golf, fishing in the borrow pit, and remote control boat races as the the district invited families to come and help it celebrate its anniversary.
In the garage, tables were set up so visitors could feast on hamburgers and hot dogs and all the fixings including soft serve ice cream for dessert.
NWWS set up tables throughout the facility during the open house, dispensing information about the district’s services. One worker demonstrated how a fire hydrant worked. At another table employees explained what should not be flushed down the drain. Others handed out informational materials and tote bags to carry them.
There was even a water tasting station pitting water from Oregon, Bowling Green, Toledo, and the district’s watersheds.
Those watersheds have been a lucrative added service, said finance officer Kay Ball. The first watershed was opened in the headquarters parking lot in summer 2005 and brought in $23.85 in its first week. The district now has 14 watersheds, which bring in an average of $5,900 weekly.
She noted that in 2003 Hunt Weston, which is no longer in operation, was the district’s largest customer in those early years. It no longer exists.
First Solar is now the largest company. Other top consumers include other enterprises that have sprung up in the past 30 years.
“It’s a very diverse group with a lot of change,” she said. “We’re not dependent on any one industry.”
Engineer Tom Stalter said data centers like the Accordion Project are part of the wave. “Ohio is a hotbed for data centers,” he said. And they need a significant amount of water.
Engineer Garret Chamberlain said that the challenge of removing PFAS, known as forever chemicals, is another challenge. Treatment plants are not ready to handle them.
It’s going to be a significant challenge, he said.
Charged with summing up the proceedings, Doug Miller, who chairs the district’s board, said it came down to people.
“We’ve been blessed from the beginning with very dedicated people.”
