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Ohio EPA says New Lebanon plant shows improvement but needs major repairs; council approves pay for certified operators
Summary
Ohio EPA officials told the Village Council that recent work at the New Lebanon wastewater treatment plant has produced measurable improvements but that longstanding equipment failures and deferred maintenance require significant repairs and increased staffing. Council passed an ordinance to add pay for certified water/wastewater operators and discussed rough repair-cost estimates.
Andrew Goll of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Compliance Assistance Unit told the Village Council on Tuesday that New Lebanon’s wastewater treatment plant showed marked visual and process improvements after the agency began working with plant staff in mid-May, but that substantial mechanical and operational problems remain.
"When I first visited the plant on May 14, it was in bad shape," Goll said. He described multiple broken rotors, missing aerator discs, failed bearings and low dissolved-oxygen readings that hampered biological treatment. Goll presented photos and settleometer results that contrasted poor mid-May effluent with clearer discharge seen after staff made changes and began hauling solids.
Goll said the unit provides nonregulatory, on-site technical assistance to help operators troubleshoot and stabilize treatment processes. He recommended a preventative maintenance program, regular solids management, repairs to aeration equipment and restoring a second clarifier to handle high-flow events. "Give [the operators] the resources and the staffing levels that are needed to operate and maintain the plant," he said, noting the plant’s design flow is "almost 1,000,000 gallons a day."
Council members pressed for cost estimates. Council staff and the acting village manager described a rough plan that would make the plant operational for routine flows and recommended budgeting for replacement parts and a valve-exercise program. Council and staff offered preliminary figures: about $500,000 to replace and backstop core equipment to get operations reliable, with additional potential line items (valve repairs, excavation/crane work) that could add roughly $200,000; previously purchased parts and repairs over recent years were also noted. Council members cited prior spending figures — about $115,000 over a 15-year span on some pumps and roughly $105,000 in the past nine months — to underline that repairs have been ongoing.
Officials described recent operational progress: the plant reportedly hauled roughly 50 tons of solids since mid-May and had reduced a solids blanket in one clarifier from an estimated 10 feet to about 2 feet. Goll cautioned that biological recovery takes time and that full compliance depends on sustained repairs and staffing. He also noted that his process-control testing is a grab-sample snapshot and not a substitute for the permit-required composite sampling that determines formal compliance.
The council moved to adopt Ordinance 2026-7, a third-reading ordinance creating additional compensation for certified water and wastewater operators employed by the Village Service Department. Supporters said the pay incentive would help retain licensed operators and strengthen the plant’s ability to maintain compliance. The ordinance passed on roll call, 6–0.
What happens next: council members and staff said they will prioritize budgeting and a multi-year equipment-replacement plan and continue to work with the Ohio EPA on process control. The acting village manager and service staff will return to council with more specific cost estimates and proposed budget adjustments for upcoming fiscal planning.
