Youngstown will study providing water to Campbell and Struthers

YOUNGSTOWN —City council will consider a proposal Wednesday to hire a company for $92,000 to examine Youngstown’s water distribution system and its rates.

The study would also include an estimated cost of expanding the water system into Campbell and Struthers. That is part of Youngstown’s proposal to determine the potential of a joint economic development zone of about 1,200 acres of undeveloped land in the three cities in an area known as the Mahoning River Corridor of Opportunity.

A major part of the proposal would be the use of Youngstown water in that area. Campbell and Struthers use water from Aqua Ohio, a private company.

Campbell council voted 3-1 on June 3 to cooperate with The PFM Group, the Cleveland company conducting the study.

Struthers City Council’s community development committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the study. Mayor Terry Stocker isn’t prepared to endorse having the study done.

The PFM Group study should be done in three to four months, said Youngstown Finance Director David Bozanich.

The study would prioritize improvement work needed to Youngstown’s water lines within and outside the city limits; a cost estimate of water expansion into Campbell, Struthers and other areas; compare rates with other water suppliers in northeast Ohio, and recommend rate increases needed to meet various scenarios.

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