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Clark County moves to bid Donnelsville water project after Ohio EPA signals $4M in funding
Summary
Clark County commissioners instructed staff to advertise bids for the Donnelsville Water System Project and authorized applying for Ohio EPA WSRLA principal forgiveness financing after the agency indicated about $4 million would finish the project; commissioners said the county aims to avoid placing site-specific debt on Donnelsville residents.
Clark County commissioners voted to advertise for bids for the Donnelsville Water System Project and authorized county staff to pursue Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSRLA) principal forgiveness financing after the Ohio EPA told the county it had roughly $4 million available to complete the work.
During the agenda review, County Administrator Jennifer Hutchinson said Ohio EPA has "an additional $4 million which would basically finish out this project for Donnelsville" if the county can meet the agency's timeline. Utilities staff and commissioners stressed the July 1 completion deadline tied to that funding. Utilities representative Chuck Bauer told the board he believed the town's initial contamination dated to "1990."
Commissioner Charles A. Patterson pressed whether the construction would saddle Donnelsville residents with new debt. Bauer said customers "would just pay a bill like any other customer in that water district" and that any loan obligation would likely be borne by the larger Park Layne water system rather than being allocated solely to Donnelsville households. The Board also passed a resolution authorizing the County Administrator to apply for WSRLA funds and to designate Clark County water funds as the dedicated repayment source if any loan financing is needed in addition to principal forgiveness.
Bids for the project will be opened in public session on May 28, 2026. The county also discussed the possibility of including free in-home connection work as part of construction, but officials said that will depend on bid results and final project costs.
What happens next: the county must meet Ohio EPA deadlines to secure principal forgiveness funds and evaluate bids before final contract awards.
