Millions of dollars coming to region for water and sewer projects

Times-Reporter
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COLUMBUS ‒ Several water and sewer projects in the Tuscarawas Valley are being awarded funding by the State of Ohio.

The grants are part of the fourth round of the Ohio BUILDS (Broadband, Utilities, and Infrastructure for Local Development Success) water infrastructure program. Since its establishment, the program has provided more than $360 million to support 253 local water projects impacting every county in the state.

Local projects include:

  • The Village of Gnadenhutten will receive a $1,526,824 grant for water treatment plant improvements. The current system is approaching the end of its useful life. The village will be putting a new filter system in the current location, according to Mayor Rich Gilmore. The plans have been approved but are waiting for the final signoff from the Environmental Protection Agency, which should happen any day now. Completion of the project is expected in the next seven to nine months. The project will benefit 1,258 people.

  • The Village of Sugarcreek will receive a $608,220 grant for a water treatment plant expansion project. The project will expand the floor space of the current plant to make room for an additional water softener. The project will benefit 2,234 people.

  • The Holmes County Board of Commissioners will receive a $4,350,000 grant for a waterline extension project along Ohio 39 and Cherry Ridge Road to the Tuscarawas County line near Sugarcreek. The Walnut Creek Water Co. will take ownership of the existing Cherry Ridge Water Works and eliminate this water system, which is suffering from poor water pressure and deteriorated waterline. The line extension will connect 22 new residential households and expand water quality for the current 34 households. The project will install about 20,000 linear feet of waterline, a 100,000-gallon elevated water stage tank and replace about 3,100 linear feet of existing line, gate valves, fire hydrants and water services. The project will benefit 132 people.

  • The Village of Bowerston will receive a $3,574,445 grant for a wastewater improvement project. The village’s current system was constructed in the mid-1980s and experiences high rates of inflow and infiltration of clean water entering the wastewater system during wet weather events. Project activities include the replacement of about 18,000 linear feet of gravity sewer lines, 3,500 linear feet of sewer service laterals, 80 manholes and additional necessary reconnections and surface restoration. The project will also remove and dispose of sludge from the wastewater treatment plant lagoons and replace airlines and blowers. The project will benefit 454 people.

  • The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District will receive a $1.7 million grant for a wastewater treatment plant improvement project in Harrison County. Project activities include the installation of a 12,000 gallons-per-day plant including two new pump stations to tie into restrooms, rental cabins and a new RV dump station at Clendening Marina near Tippecanoe. The project will benefit 200 people.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Millions of dollars coming to region for water and sewer projects