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Athens County orders sewer policy review, reimburses homeowner for roadside blockage and advances plant upgrades
Summary
The commissioners approved a $300 one-time reimbursement for a homeowner whose lateral clogged under county roadway, directed revision of sewer policy (taps on property side, required cleanouts), and supported plant upgrades including fine-bubble aeration and returning to in-house dewatering to meet Ohio EPA expectations.
The Athens County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 6 directed staff to rewrite the county sewer policy to clarify customer and county responsibilities for private service lines, approved a one-time $300 reimbursement for a homeowner whose lateral blocked under the county right-of-way, and endorsed engineering-recommended upgrades at the county wastewater plant.
Water & Sewer Superintendent Oscar Carson told the board that engineering review recommends switching from coarse to fine-bubble aeration to improve oxygen transfer and returning to in-house dewatering using a sludge press rather than land injection. Superintendent Carson said a press would likely require a heated enclosure and roll-off containers for landfill disposal and that staff will transmit a letter to Ohio EPA reflecting the board’s direction.
On a separate issue, the board addressed a customer blockage on Nurad Road that occurred under the county roadway between a property cleanout and the main. Because excavation would require county work under the road, the board approved a one-time reimbursement of roughly $300 to cover immediate clearing costs. Commissioners also instructed the prosecutor’s office and W&S staff to draft a revised sewer policy clarifying that, going forward, taps should be placed on the customer property side of the road, include a cleanout, and that the county will pursue cost recovery when excavation under public ROW is required.
Regarding ongoing projects, staff noted design and constructability issues on the US50 New Marshfield sanitary sewer (some homes at ROW line may require longer service runs); a pre-construction coordination meeting was set for Jan. 20 and a public meeting for early February. The board also directed staff not to begin local-funded design work for Guysville and Stewart sewer projects until external construction funding is secured.
A motion by Commissioner Charlie Adkins to approve the Nurad Road reimbursement was seconded by Commissioner Chris Chmiel and recorded as carried by roll call vote.
