Akron staff outline CSO work and say regulators are open to alternatives to costly EHRT plant
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Summary
City wastewater staff described real-time control, CMOM cycles and tunnel projects that have reduced overflows and said regulators (Ohio and US EPA) are engaged as the city explores meeting consent-decree obligations without building a projected $265 million enhanced treatment plant.
City wastewater and environmental services staff briefed the planning committee on combined sewer overflow (CSO) projects and the status of consent-decree work, emphasizing that a series of operational improvements and storage projects have substantially reduced modeled overflows.
Jenny Hannah summarized multiple CSO efforts, including a real-time control system that monitors and manages wet-weather storage and a post-construction water-quality monitoring program required under the consent decree. She said the CMOM (Capacity, Management, Operation and Maintenance) five-year cycle – funded as an annual line item of about $4.5 million – drives regular cleaning, inspection and identification of repair needs across sanitary and combined sewers.
Staff reported progress on the North Side interceptor tunnel (about 65% complete) and noted carryover work and closeout charges on related projects. When asked about the enhanced high-rate treatment (EHRT) facility, which planners previously projected in the low hundreds of millions, staff described modeling and operational advances — including dewatering and flow management enabled by new meters — that have cut predicted annual overflow volumes and reduced the frequency of overflow events. "This one treatment facility is just for one point," an operations leader said, adding that the city and regulators are evaluating whether the required water-quality standards can be met by a combination of nonstructural and smaller structural alternatives.
Councilmember Eric Garrett and others praised staff for implementation progress and asked for tours and further briefings. Staff said the larger EHRT projection the city has discussed (approximately $265 million in later remarks) remains part of planning documents but that an amendment process and regulatory review with Ohio EPA and US EPA are underway.
The committee did not approve any construction authorization during the session; staff emphasized continued monitoring, modeling and coordination with regulators as next steps.
