Resident urges Erie council to explore residential ozone laundry technology

David Heberly, a resident who identified himself during public comment, described a small device he installs on residential washing machines that injects ozone into the cold-water line and said it reduces the need for hot water and detergent. Heberly said he has used the unit at home for several years and plans to speak at an international ozone association roundtable in August.

“He said it creates it out of the air in your house … and it gets injected into the cold water line,” Director Spry told the council while summarizing the comment record after Heberly finished. Heberly told the council the technology has been used in commercial and institutional settings for decades and is now being miniaturized for home use.

The council did not take formal action. Jackie, a staff member, told Heberly the council would “look into it further,” and Matthew, identified in the meeting as the council chair, said staff would consider following up and that the council would acknowledge his comment. Council members noted procedural limits: the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is advisory to Erie’s city council and cannot mandate private technology adoption.

Members suggested outreach options. Director Spry said the council would send a note acknowledging Heberly’s presentation and ask follow-up questions; a member suggested connecting him with Dana Madison (contact information to be provided). No timeline or funding request was made.

The discussion occurred during the public comment portion of the July 23 meeting; council members also noted they had not reminded the public commenter of the five-minute speaking limit and would follow up with a courtesy response.

For now, the comment is on the record and council staff indicated they will contact Heberly for contact details and to request more technical information if needed.