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Campbell begins accepting bids for its water plant
CAMPBELL
The city is accepting bids on its water plant and distribution system.
On Jan. 15, the city issued a request for proposal and a request for qualifications from parties interested in purchasing the city’s water treatment plant and more than 3,000 customers.
The deadline for offers to acquire and operate the system is noon April 30.
Campbell spent more than a year deliberating over whether to sell after determining the plant would need millions of dollars in upgrades to stay in compliance with changing Environmental Protection Agency standards.
In 2017, Aqua Ohio, a private corporation that controls the water utilities for 50,000 Mahoning Valley residents, offered Campbell $7 million for the water plant.
Jennifer Johnson, Aqua Ohio’s area manager, said during a town hall meeting that every employee of Campbell’s water department would have the option to continue working in some capacity at Aqua Ohio, should the company purchase the plant.
The city spends about $350,000 annually on water employee salaries per year. Youngstown’s Water Commissioner, Harry Johnson, expressed interest in the plant during a Campbell town hall meeting last November, though no official offers have yet been made.
Operator’s instructions outlining the needs of the plant and the responsibilities of those who control Campbell’s water supply were included in the RFP.
Joe Tovarnak, the city’s water superintendent, wrote that the plant’s focus in 2018 was dealing with disinfection byproduct formation in the water and asset management – keeping the aging facility running.
He said that whatever entity takes over the plant will need to contend with those issues as well as water system depressurization.