Ohio EPA preliminarily OKs Plain City sewer plant expansion despite Big Darby concerns

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued a preliminary finding that a proposed expansion of Plain City's wastewater treatment system would not significantly impact the Big Darby Creek watershed, nor would stormwater runoff that would come after development.

That finding worries environmentalists who fear a final ruling could permanently hurt the Big Darby, a state and national scenic river, and its fragile ecosystem.

"The finding of no significant impact is stunning and unsupported with what is happening in the watershed itself," said Will Harlan of the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit based in Tucson, Arizona.

Anthony Sasson, of the Darby Creek Association, said that the state should step back and look at analyzing how much development the creek could take.

The Ohio EPA estimated that Plain City's population would grow from 3,831 to 21,000 over the next 20 years.

In its preliminary assessment, the Ohio EPA says the proposed wastewater treatment plant expansion's potential impacts on surface water "will be minimal" because of steps the village is taking.

"Overall, the long-term effect of the project is not expected to result in significant, adverse environmental impacts on these surface water features," it said.

It also said that Ohio EPA expects appropriate storm water controls will be included in new developments that should limit the amount of runoff entering area streams, while helping retain sediment and other pollutants.

The state assessment said that any impact will be because of the increase in the volume of treated wastewater discharged to Big Darby Creek. But the village will be installing "rip-rap" — rocks placed along streambanks and bridge foundation to prevent erosion — that should minimize the effect on the Big Darby.

Ohio EPA spokesman James Lee said in an email that "any indirect and cumulative impacts on Big Darby Creek’s exceptional warm-water habitat will be minimized by Plain City implementing all necessary measures to protect critical natural systems and landscapes for both their inherent value and enjoyment by future generations, as described in the village’s 2018 comprehensive plan.

"These ideas are modeled after the Big Darby Accord," he said, referring to the 2006 document aimed at stopping unchecked development near the creek in Franklin County, something environmentalists would like to see duplicated on the west side of the Darby in Madison and Union counties.

A map in the assessment shows a growing development area around Plain City both in Union and Madison counties.

"This would flank the Big Darby for about 11 miles. That's 10% of the Big Darby right there," said Sasson, who said he doesn't believe the state has considered stormwater impacts enough.

"Instead of going whole hog here with eight miles of development, can we look at a limited area for the infrastructure?" Sasson said.

"They don't have an experimental control here showing that what's proposed will work," he said. The state needs to look at the amount of development the stream can tolerate to protect species, he said.

"That has not been done," he said.

Plain City plans to finance improvements to its waste water treatment plant through an $8 million loan through the state's Water Pollution Loan Control Fund.

It's among the projects that was included in the Ohio EPA's final Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Program Management Plan issued Jan. 27: $127.3 million spread among eight projects for Madison County and Plain City that include a regional wastewater treatment plant in Madison County near Interstate 70 and sewage system in addition to the new Plain City wastewater plant, and $43 million for a large-scale sewage system project in Logan County.

That plan has also concerned environmentalists about long-term impact.

People have until May 4 to comment on the preliminary assessment. For a look at the preliminary finding, go to this link: https://epa.ohio.gov/static/Portals/29/public%20comment%20docs/PlainCity-March2023.pdf

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Proposed Plain City expansion of sewer plant worries environmentalists