Second deadline in Aqua Ohio and Campbell water deal passes, deal expected soon

By Graig Graziosi

ggraziosi@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

The fate of Campbell’s water treatment plant is still in limbo as Tuesday’s deadline for the city to agree to sell the facility and its customers to Aqua Ohio has come and gone.

Aqua Ohio has offered the city $7.5 million for its water treatment plant, infrastructure and customers. The company initially gave Campbell until July 1 to agree to a sale, but the city requested a deadline extension to give its lawyers more time to work out the purchase agreement’s language.

Mayor Nick Phillips said the city’s attorney has been communicating with the Aqua Ohio legal team, but did not have a firm date for when the city would be ready to officially sign the purchase agreement.

Jennifer Johnson, the Aqua Ohio area manager for the Struthers Division, confirmed the entities were still refining the agreement.

“Both parties are continuing to communicate back and forth, finishing minor revisions in the agreement. We’re very close, so we’re fine with letting the deadline pass. We expect the agreement to be finalized very soon,” Johnson said.

The city has been deliberating the sale of the water plant for nearly two years. The plant – which has not been substantively upgraded in decades – faced tightening Environmental Protection Agency standards that would have cost the city millions to meet.