Trumbull County officials OK project for waterline

VIENNA -- A $2.5 million waterline project that will allow Trumbull County to cease buying water from Consumers Ohio Water Co. has been approved by county commissioners.
The planned improvements, funded in part with a $550,000 Ohio Public Works Commission Grant, will allow county-owned water systems serving residents in the southeast corner of the county to be fed entirely with water purchased from Niles.
The rest of the project costs will be covered over time by ratepayers in the affected areas, said sanitary engineer Thomas Holloway.
Commissioners voted to end a 40-year relationship with Consumers Ohio Water Co. last year, at Holloway's recommendation.
The county had been spending nearly $1.2 million a year with the private water company, he said, at rates he considered exorbitant.
"We were getting hosed," he said.
With Niles, the county's water bill for the customers in Brookfield, Hubbard, Liberty and Vienna townships is expected to drop to $600,000 annually.
Because customers will pay most of the cost for the connection to Niles, it is unclear how soon the lower bulk water rate will be reflected in their bills, Holloway said.