Utilities invest in area
Electric, gas, water and sewer providers pour millions in 2020; more expected in 2021
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Millions of dollars were invested into power, gas, water and sewer providers to bolster and modernize their service systems in 2020, and greater investment is on the horizon.
OHIO EDISON
As the viral outbreak forced people to spend more time at home, Ohio Edison focused on revamping its service.
The company completed grid modernization, improving electric service reliability for more than 200,000 customers in the Mahoning Valley, according to spokeswoman Lauren Siburkis.
Also, more than 20 new automated reclosing devices, which operate similar to a circuit breaker in a home, were installed, limiting frequency, duration and scope of some service interruptions. Plus, 11 miles of existing power lines were replaced with a thicker, more durable wire, and new utility poles were installed to support the new lines.
In December, FirstEnergy, Ohio Edison's parent company, worked to rebuild existing high-voltage power lines to improve service reliability for more than 100,000 customers in Trumbull and Portage counties.
Fiber optic cable also was added for an enhanced network, extending about 20 miles to connect existing electric substations in Newton Falls and Ravenna.
"Investing in our infrastructure is crucial because it will help reduce the number of customers impacted by storm outages as well as shorten the length of outages when they do occur," Siburkis said.
This year, the power company plans to start installing smart meters in Trumbull County, mostly in the Warren and Kinsman areas. The project will see 72,000 of the meters added by the end of 2022.
The utility company also is performing work that will align with economic growth in Lordstown.
Installation of a substation and transmission line will provide electricity to Ultium Cells LLC, which "will also strengthen the regional transmission system and benefit more than 15,000 Ohio Edison customers in Lordstown and neighboring communities," Siburkis said.
DOMINION ENERGY OHIO
The natural gas provider last year invested more than $7.5 million in Trumbull County to install 43,992 new feet of pipeline.
In the future, the utility plans to invest more than $23.4 million to replace 111,492 feet of line this year for Pipeline Infrastructure Replacement projects in the Valley.
This is part of a program launched in 2008 to spend $4 billion to replace more than 5,500 miles of the company's 22,000-mile pipeline system.
In Trumbull County, the utility plans to spend $5.2 million to replace 31,642 feet of pipeline in Howland, Hubbard, Niles and Warren, according to the company.
In 2020, Dominion committed to "a net zero framework," where methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure will decrease by 65 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2040.
This is bested by a previous commitment made in 2019 by the company to reduce methane emissions by 50 percent by 2030.
Those goals will be achieved by reducing or eliminating gas venting during planned maintenance inspections, replacing targeted infrastructure and equipment with lower-emission equipment, expanding leak detection and repair programs, and innovation and technical excellence.
Through its efforts, Dominion has prevented 260,000 metric tons of methane from entering the atmosphere since 2010. That is an equivalent to 110 million new trees, or 1.4 million nonelectric vehicles off the road for one year.
LOCAL UTILITIES
In Howland, $32 million in upgrades to the Mosquito Creek wastewater treatment plant, operated by the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer's office, has begun. Technology from the 1980s was replaced, allowing the plant to filter nitrogen and phosphorus. That project is anticipated to be completed this year.
"It is a complete renovation of the plant," Gary Newbrough, county sanitary engineer, has said.
The plant services about 5,000 households, with a daily flow into the plant at 4.2 million gallons that will grow to 5.25 million gallons upon completion of the work.
It is among several projects happening in the county system that also include a $20 million upgrade to a wastewater plant in Brookfield.
The main focus of the project is to add a stabilization tank for treatment of additional water during heavy rain, Newbrough said. That tank will hold "tens of millions of gallons," he said.
Residents in Weathersfield who have had failing or malfunctioning septic systems will begin to see clean up in the ditches, Newbrough said.
Eighty-three houses will be impacted by the $2.7 million Heaton Chute project as it comes to fruition. Both Ohio Public Works Commission and Community Development Block Grant program will each contribute $750,000. Another $250,000 will come from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The remaining $950,000 will be financed through a 30-year, 0 percent loan through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
A portion of Elm Road in Cortland will see the installation of 54 new connections. The Elm Road Water Project is in its final stages of design, Newbrough said, and will cost $1.6 million. Another $750,000 in OPWC grants will help fund the project, with the remainder financed through another 30-year, 0 percent EPA loan.
Residents in the higher elevation of Mineral Ridge will receive stronger water pressure upon completion of hydraulic waterline improvements for $3.35 million
A new tower and pump station will be installed, Newbrough said, to provide better water pressure at the top of the hill. Money collected from residents over the last 10 years will help fund $250,000, while an OPWC loan for $2.8 million and an EPA loan, each for 0 percent, will be applied.
MVSD
Following a lull last year, this year will be a game of catch-up for the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, said chief engineer Jim Jones.
Projects will include a $1.2 million addition of chemical bulk feed tanks. "It's an improvement we've added," in which 300-gallon tanks will be fed permanently through trucks," Jones said.
A stand-by generator for $4 million will be added. Also, valves in the transmission system will be replaced. That project is in the design phase, he said.
The district is looking to secure grants and loan funding to make improvements to its 100-year-old dam, Jones said, with the beginning that process expected in April. That project should be out to bid by year's end.
The MVSD serves 220,000 customers through 27.4 miles of pipeline out of the Meander reservoir.