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Council hears that U.S. EPA objected to Port Clinton wastewater-permit renewal; city's plant plans delayed
Summary
At the Jan. 14 public hearing recounted at the Jan. 28 council meeting, the U.S. EPA raised an objection to Port Clinton's wastewater treatment plant permit renewal; city officials said the objection prevents proceeding with plant plans and that resolution is between Ohio EPA and U.S. EPA.
During the mayor's report, council was informed that city officials attended a Jan. 14 public hearing at Camp Perry in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency objected to the renewal of the City of Port Clinton's wastewater treatment plant permit. The mayor's report said Port Clinton had no role in the objection beyond being an entity with a permit up for renewal.
City officials told the council that the objection restricts the city from moving forward with future plans for the wastewater treatment plant. The mayor's report compared the situation to a past U.S. EPA objection involving Euclid, Ohio, which took more than two years to resolve. Dina Shenker, who spoke during the report, described the Jan. 14 meeting as positive overall and said the Ohio EPA praised steps Port Clinton is taking at the plant.
Council members and staff framed the matter as an intergovernmental dispute between the Ohio EPA and U.S. EPA that the city cannot unilaterally resolve; no formal council action was recorded at the Jan. 28 meeting. The transcript records that resolving similar objections in the past has taken multiple years, and city officials said the current objection effectively prevents the city from implementing planned work until the state and federal agencies reach agreement.
Next steps, as described in the meeting record, are limited to interagency discussions; the council did not vote or direct staff to take legal action at the Jan. 28 meeting.
