$14.2 million Trumbull waterline project moving forward

Staff report

WARREN

Trumbull County has received final EPA approval of expanded funding for the Blueprint for Prosperity waterline in the county’s western section and is also expanding it.

The county sanitary engineer’s office announced last month the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was going to pay 75 percent of the project’s costs instead of 50 percent, increasing its contribution from $6.25 million to $9.375 million.

That required the sanitary engineer’s office to revise some of the project documents, which Gary Newbrough, deputy sanitary engineer, did by last month’s deadline.

As part of the revision, Newbrough also added about 30 customers in two areas of Southington Township – on Will Anna Court off U.S. Route 422 and on state Route 534 south of Helsley Fusselman Road.

But the revision also will increase the total cost of the project from $12.5 million to $14.2 million, Newbrough said.

The additional EPA funding means the monthly charge that about 270 customers will pay will drop from $16.23 per thousand gallons of water to between $12.30 and $14 per thousand gallons.

The project will bring water from Newton Falls to areas of Braceville, Southington and Farmington townships and the village of West Farmington. Construction is expected to begin late this year.

The revision increases the cost of the project in West Farmington from $500,000 to $1.7 million because of an increase in the number of water connections from 278 to 320 and because of a more-expensive type of service connection to be used, Newbrough said.