Spring Lake sewer project enters final phase

FINDLAY — The city of Findlay is considering fronting $200,000 to the Spring Lake Subdivision sanitary sewer upgrade so the project can get started - and possibly finished - this year. Bids were opened on the project in November. Fenson Contracting, LLC, of Fort Jennings, had the lowest and best bid of $3,141,051. There were five bidders. City Engineer Jeremy Kalb said Findlay has already received a $3 million grant for the project from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's H2Ohio Fund, but that's still short of the money needed to pay the contractor. At Tuesday's regular meeting of Findlay Council, legislation was introduced that would appropriate the money needed from the city's sewer fund. The ordinance also transfers the $3 million grant from the Ohio EPA into the project fund and authorizes city administrators to enter into the contract. The legislation includes emergency language. Emergency legislation takes effect upon the mayor's signature, bypassing a 30-day waiting period meant to allow for public review and the possibility of a citizens' referendum. Kalb said being able to execute the contract with Fenson Contracting by February will mean that materials for the project can be ordered. He said the EPA has agreed to reimburse the city for the expense in its next budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1. He said there is an eight to nine-month lead time for delivery of the pumps needed for the project. Council's Water and Sewer Committee voted on Jan. 10 in favor of appropriating the $200,000 from the sewer fund. On Tuesday, Councilwoman Holly Frische, R-1, pressed the need for a memorandum of understanding with the EPA that would ensure repayment of the money, however, city administrators said the discussion is already well documented in emails. Councilman Randy Greeno, R-at-large, a member of the Water and Sewer Committee, said the EPA has already spent millions of dollars to fix the sewers. Council voted 8-1 to accept the committee's report, with Frische opposed. Councilman Grant Russel, R-at-large, who chairs the Water and Sewer Committee, was absent from the council meeting. On Tuesday, Kalb said it's the final phase of the project. In May, Kalb said pumps needed to route the sewage across U.S. 68/Ohio 15 to the city's sewers are very expensive, and the city was seeking more funding from the state of Ohio to pay for them. In December 2023, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced that Findlay would receive a $2 million grant to repair deteriorating sewer pipelines in the subdivision. It was the third H2Ohio grant awarded to the city to fix its failing wastewater treatment system. There are about 100 homes in Spring Lake. The money was enough to replace the lines and stop wastewater from leaking into the ground or being infiltrated with groundwater. Plastic pipes will replace all the sanitary sewer lines in the subdivision. The city has been asked to take over the subdivision's sewage maintenance by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The state agency has agreed to cover the costs. In October 2021, the Water and Sewer Committee voted to support the takeover. In 2021, Findlay received $600,000 from an H2Ohio Water and Sewer Infrastructure grant to help. The money was used to decommission the subdivision's old wastewater lagoons and pipe the wastewater into city sewers for treatment at Findlay's Water Pollution Control Center. The city also received $25,000 from an earlier round of H2Ohio grants. The money was used for design, easements and permits for the project. Sewage from the subdivision was being treated by the Eagle Creek Utility Co., a private entity and a sort of cooperative agreement that allowed the subdivision to treat its sewage since its establishment in the 1950s. The arrangement predates the creation of the Ohio EPA and most likely was approved by the state health board, city officials have said. The Ohio EPA notified the city in 2020 that the company does not hold the required permits for collecting sewage and is not operated by a licensed professional, as required by law. Sewage from the subdivision was pumped into two ponds before being discharged into Eagle Creek. According to the EPA, the system was severely deteriorated and "has seen significant failure." In late 2020, the Ohio EPA learned that sewage pumps for the subdivision were broken, causing collection system backups and odors near the manholes and sewers. The Ohio EPA also inspected the lagoons and discovered poorly treated sewage, which eventually was discharged into Eagle Creek. Gov. Mike DeWine launched H2Ohio in 2019 as a water quality effort to provide clean and safe water to Ohio. The grants fund projects to improve the quality of drinking water and to repair or replace aging water, wastewater and sewage infrastructure throughout the state.