NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ Commissioners have approved an agreement with Roswell to construct, own and maintain a sewer system in the village.
It was the latest step in a years long process to address sewer problems in Roswell.
More on project: Pricey project: Roswell turns to county for help with failing septic systems, new project
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency conducted multiple tests of the water in Beaverdam Creek in 2013, 2016 and 2018. Water samples were well in excess of public health standards for E. coli. The contamination has been traced to failing septic systems in the village. There are septic systems that are connected directly to the storm water system that goes directly to the creek. Since the village doesn’t have the funding to build a sewage treatment plant, it has asked the county to take on the project.
Michael Jones, director of the Tuscarawas County Metropolitan Sewer District, told commissioners that his agency is in the final stages of acquiring a $1 million grant from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that could be used to pay for the design phase of the project and also for a portion of the construction.
“There’s still a lot of funding that we will have to find to fully fund this project,” he said. “I think we’re looking at probably somewhere between a $4 million and $5 million project here. It’s a pretty significant undertaking, but this is the first step in getting this moving forward.”
Project could take three to five years to complete
He estimated that it could take at least a year for design, permitting and easement acquisition. Completion of the project could be three to five years away.
“I think this is an opportunity for us to be able to clean up an area that has been watched by the EPA,” said Commissioner Chris Abbuhl.
In 2021, Roswell council voted down a resolution that would have allowed the county sewer district to proceed with planning and engineering of a sanitary sewer system. Later that year, council reversed that vote.
“They’re going to have to do something,” Abbuhl said of the village. “The EPA has been watching them. They’re just fortunate that there has not been action taken to force them into it because there’s no way they have the means to be able do it. The county was willing to step up and help assist with this, and they voted it down.”
Jones said he is not sure what the project will cost residents of Roswell.
Roswell Mayor Mitch Belknap said the agreement with the county received unanimous support from council.
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: County commissioners approve agreement to operate Roswell sewer system
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