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Union City discusses wastewater merger, lagoon dredging and long‑term sewer separation costs
Summary
Council and residents discussed wastewater plant issues, including a potential cross‑state operator arrangement with Indiana, daily monitoring and dye testing submitted to the Ohio EPA, pending dredging studies, and the long, costly process of separating stormwater from sanitary sewers that will require homeowner changes and potential grant assistance.
Union City council members and residents spent significant time on July 21 discussing wastewater operations, possible intergovernmental coordination with an Indiana operator and the implications of lagoon capacity and sewer separation.
Staff said the village has been conducting dye studies and daily testing and is submitting results to the Ohio EPA as part of an evaluation process. He said the same operator would likely be accountable to both the Ohio EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management if the merger/coordination occurs. "He doesn't want to to get a red card, so to speak, from either state agency," the staff member said, adding that operational controls will be managed through monitoring.
Residents pressed the council on overflow risks and what would happen when lagoons reach capacity. One resident said, "Well, once they're full, they ain't gonna they ain't gonna hold no more water." The staff member responded that if lagoons on the Indiana side and Ohio side were completely full, "there's going to be a release regardless to the river," noting there may be no other place for the water to go in extreme events. The staff member also said the village has not yet received estimates on original versus current lagoon depths; a contractor‑led study is pending.
Council and residents discussed dredging the lagoons to restore original depths and whether dredging would increase capacity beyond original levels; staff said dredging would return lagoons to original depth by removing settled solids, not make them deeper than originally constructed. Residents asked about grant programs or assistance to help homeowners replace old field tiles and lateral connections to separate stormwater; staff said those conversations are planned as the project advances and emphasized that removing sump pumps, roof drains and perimeter drains from sanitary connections will be a multiyear, potentially costly process mandated by formal EPA orders.
The discussion produced no formal vote; staff said a request for qualifications for wastewater work will be advertised this week and decisions on procurement are anticipated at the next meeting. Several residents voiced concern about cost burdens and enforcement consequences during and after the separation process.
