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West Union residents demand written plan after lift station failures leave raw sewage on ground
Summary
Neighbors at the Feb. 10 West Union Village Council meeting urged the village to move from temporary pumps to a permanent repair for a failing Lovejoy lift station, citing raw sewage overflows, public-health risks and ongoing odor; residents demanded a written failure explanation, a replacement plan with milestones and regular written updates.
At the West Union Village Council meeting on Feb. 10, 2026, Lovejoy neighborhood residents urged the village to provide a permanent fix for a sewer lift station they say has been failing for an extended period and allowing raw sewage to overflow onto the ground.
David Riley, speaking for neighbors, said temporary pumps have repeatedly failed and that ‘‘raw sewage contains bacteria, virus, pathogens, and a real risk to public health,’’ warning that the contamination can affect soil and surface and groundwater. He asked the council for ‘‘a written explanation of the failure and the corrective actions, permanent repair/replacement plan, and a defined timeline with milestones of completion date,” and requested regular written updates to the neighborhood rather than informal, verbal communication.
Mayor Jason Buda told the meeting he has been pursuing delivery of replacement parts. ‘‘The pump company that we ordered the stuff from told Matt that it would be 10–12 weeks. Now they are telling him the middle to end of March before their parts are in,’’ Buda said, and added that staff have escalated the request with the supplier’s CEO and will install the parts once they arrive.
Neighbors pushed for faster action. Chad Grooms said the situation ‘‘smells like it used to smell before the sewage treatment plant got fixed’’ and that ongoing generator noise and repeated pumping are making life difficult for adjacent residents; he asked the village to broaden its search for replacement parts or secure a rental pump instead of waiting additional weeks. Donna Young pressed staff on why they had not followed up sooner.
Village Administrator Kenny Ferguson reported staff have rented at least one pump and are making daily checks and disassembly efforts to diagnose the problem. Council members suggested searching other sources for parts or obtaining a rental unit if a new part cannot be located quickly.
Residents said they are collecting surface- and groundwater samples and have contacted the local health department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. No formal remedial timeline or permanent repair plan was presented at the meeting; council actions recorded in the minutes were procedural (discussion, operational troubleshooting and direction to pursue parts or rentals). The council did not vote on a capital repair or appropriate funding at the Feb. 10 meeting.
Next steps recorded in the meeting minutes: staff will continue to pursue replacement parts, pursue rentals if necessary, and provide the council with updates; residents asked the council to provide a written failure report and a repair timeline at a future meeting.
