ELLSWORTH TOWNSHIP Project to fix sewage leak

Septic tanks have been discharging into Diehl Lake for 35 years, officials said.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A new sanitary sewer system at Diehl Lake in Ellsworth Township will eliminate a longstanding environmental hazard, Mahoning County officials say.
Construction of the $821,000 system should begin in mid-November and be completed in summer 2002, said Sanitary Engineer Joseph Warino. It will include a collection system and treatment plant.
On Tuesday, county commissioners hired Granite Construction of North Lima as the general contractor for the treatment plant. Granite will also do the plumbing and heating work for a total price of $246,240. B & amp; J Electric of North Lima was hired as the electrical contractor for $79,870.
The collection system will be built by Rhino Excavating of Niles for $495,263.
Longtime problem: Gerald Grace, Ellsworth Township trustee, said the project will bring relief from a longtime problem with private septic tanks leaking into the lake.
About 50 homes, including his own, in a 250-acre area will be affected for now, though the system is designed to allow expansion north toward U.S. Route 224, Grace said.
Warino said $200,000 of the project cost will be paid with a state grant. The rest will be covered by a loan from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which is to be repaid with revenue from user fees.
He said the area has a history of septic tank discharge into the lake, which feeds Meander Reservoir. There have been about 40 such cases reported to the county health department in the past 35 years.
Resignation: Commissioners also accepted the resignation of Jim Petuch from the recycling division. Petuch has taken a job as head of recycling at Youngstown State University.
bjackson@vindy.com