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County expands sewer district

Ensures communities part of prosperity waterline project

Trumbull County has expanded its sewer district to include parts that were left out in the lines drawn in 1972.

Redrawing the lines will ensure areas that were left out — unincorporated areas that were not part of sewered areas at the time — can be included in upcoming projects, said Gary Newbrough, Trumbull County deputy sanitary engineer.

“Back in 1972, the county had many small districts that we combined all into one. Since then, we have extended our infrastructure past those boundaries, so it was necessary to expand the boundaries to include those previously unincorporated areas,” Newbrough said.

The district now includes all parts of Trumbull County that weren’t already in another district.

Expanding the district to include Southington and Farmington townships will ensure the communities can take part in the Blueprint to Prosperity Waterline Project, Newbrough said.

The project will bring waterlines to hundreds of people who have not had a chance to tie into existing lines in the past. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is offering the county 75 percent loan forgiveness through the Drinking Water Assistance Fund and the Water Supply Revolving Loan Account for the $12.5 million expansion. The remaining 25 percent will be paid for with a no-interest loan.

The more people who sign up for the project that connects homes in Southington, West Farmington, Farmington and Braceville to water coming from the treatment plant in Newton Falls, the cheaper it will be, Newbrough said.

In June, the office calculated customers along the new lines could expect to pay between $12.08 and $13.34 for every 1,000 gallons of water they use, about $3 or $4 less than anticipated.

Expanding the sewer district to include West Farmington also will solve an issue the village has had paying for a Class III water operator for its small treatment plant, said Mauro Cantalamessa, Trumbull County commissioner. Although the plant will go offline once the Blueprint project is completed, the plant has to keep a Class III operator until then. But knowledge of the eventual closure made it hard for the village to staff the facility, Mayor Shirley McIntosh said in June.

Plus, Class III operators are required to have certifications that often make them expensive to hire.

The village struggled to fill the position with a competitive benefits package, so in order to solve the problem, the county hired Daniel A. Patchin II to be the operator of record for the village. West Farmington reimburses the county for the costs.

However, questions arose about whether the county could hire someone to run the village’s facility.

Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins asked for the opinion of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

DeWine’s response states the county could not hire Patchin to run the village facility because the village is not in any county sewer district. Cantalamessa said including the village in the sewer district should straighten out the problem.

Patchin does other work for the county as well, Trumbull County Engineer Randy Smith said previously.

rfox@tribtoday.com

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