Officials recall MVSD’s 75-year history

The MVSD is always looking to sell more filtered water.

By TIM YOVICH

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

MINERAL RIDGE — When Josh Maher turns on a faucet at his Niles home, he doesn’t know where the water is coming from.

Jon Souders, of McDonald, believes the source is Meander Reservoir but isn’t so sure.

Souders has the right answer: The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District has been providing water to Youngstown and Niles customers for 75 years this year. In 1944, McDonald became the third member community.

Time has changed the district.

It cost just more than $9 million to dam up Meander Creek and construct a water treatment plant from 1929 to when it opened in 1932.

Now, the district will spend from $16 million to $18 million during the next three years to improve the facility.

James Sylvester, of Niles, the 76-year-old chairman of the four-member MVSD board of directors, recalls walking around the reservoir with his father 65 years ago.

At the time, pine trees were being planted around the reservoir. When he asked his father why all the trees, his father told him it was to protect the water source from contamination and keep erosion in check.

“It’s the lifeblood of the Mahoning Valley,” said Sylvester, who is in his second three-year term.

The district has an interesting heritage that reflects growth of the Valley and problems that it has faced.

Polluted water

By 1899, Youngstown had grown rapidly with 50,000 residents and depended on the Mahoning River as the source of its drinking water.

The river also served industries along its banks with water needed for manufacturing and served as the carrier of waste — industrial and municipal. Water users in Youngstown and Niles were dying of typhoid fever because of the bacteria.

The family of MVSD chief engineer Tom Holloway has been a part of district heritage. His great-uncle served as its superintendent from 1904 to 1954.

Holloway explained that because of the Mahoning’s pollution, the original concept was for the construction of a reservoir with Youngstown and Niles operating their individual water filtration plants.

It was then decided that one plant would be constructed at the reservoir, Holloway said, because of economy of scale. That is, the more water produced, the less expensive it is to produce.

In 1932, 1,000 gallons of filtered water was sold for 4.5 cents, a figure that has risen to about $1.10 depending on how much is sold.

“We’re always looking to sell more water,” Holloway said, calling attention to the district’s efforts to increase its customer base.

One area being explored is Cortland, in Trumbull County, because the city has wells as its water source. Another Mahoning County area is Campbell, which has its own water filtration system that some city officials want to sell.

During the summer, the MVSD sells about 27 million gallons per day. It has the capacity to sell an additional 33 million gallons daily. Holloway said the district has the ability to double its current 300,000 customers.

Actually, Holloway said, the number of gallons sold by the district has fallen over the years. About 40 million gallons were sold daily in the mid-1950s during the height of the Valley manufacturing era.

Water use has declined as people have moved out of the area. Also, the director said, water use is down because of water conservation — especially in households with such things as low-flow toilets.

Holloway noted that although the district is looking for more residential customers, it would like to serve industry. Just one large industrial customer, such as an ethanol plant, he explained, would increase the daily use by 3 million to 4 million gallons.

yovich@vindy.com