MVSD Planned upgrades get OK from OEPA

Directors will learn more about the loan process this afternoon.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MINERAL RIDGE -- A preliminary report from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency concludes improvements to the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's filtration system will have no adverse effects on the environment or the economy.
Residents who receive water from the member cities of the MVSD can still offer comment on the proposed improvements, an environmental specialist said.
Judith Buckinger of the Ohio EPA said the study was done as a part of the water district's application for $7.48 million from the Ohio Water Supply Revolving Loan Account.
MVSD officials plan to use the money to modernize outdated filtration control and electrical equipment, as well as upgrade the heating system and provide backup electrical power at the plant, located off Salt Springs Road.
"Before we issue any of these loans, we do an environmental survey," Buckinger said. "In a draft release, we have found there will be no adverse long-term effects on the natural resources surrounding the plant and no long-term economic effect on users."
Mailings
MVSD's board of directors has already conducted a public hearing to accept comment on the project and the loan application, Buckinger said, but some residents will see copies of the draft release in their mailboxes to allow for additional comments.
"We did a fairly limited mailing," she said. "We sent about 50 copies out to people in Youngstown and Niles."
Other residents are welcome to send written comments to the Ohio EPA's Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance at P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, OH 43216-1049. If no significant comments are received, the draft release will become the final decision, meaning the application will move forward and work can proceed at the plant.
MVSD directors have already bid out the work in five separate contracts. Those bids were received and processed earlier this month, and could be discussed at the regular meeting at 4 p.m. today at the MVSD offices. Buckinger said directors will also hear a presentation during the meeting about the loan process.
Filtration systems improvements were included in capital improvement plans at the district in the early 1990s, but all work was halted after the state auditor's office initiated a special audit of the MVSD. The filtration system is used to clear sand and other debris from water in the Meander Reservoir before it is treated at the plant and sent out to Niles and Youngstown, MVSD's member cities. More than 300,000 customers receive their water from MVSD.
slshaulis@vindy.com