Ohio EPA gives apporoval for plant expansion. So what slows the houses down and who pays the "price"?
Sewer Plant capacity
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The City’s current facility can handle 1.8 million gallons of untreated sewage per day. The city has asked (and has yet to get approval for) an expansion of this plant’s capacity to 3.5 million gallons per day. Who will pay for this? Well, since the tap fees have been foregone you and I will. But that’s not the worst of it. The Ohio EPA is now estimating (based on the permit requests from new subdivisions) that the homes being built in the area will pump 4.1 million gallons of untreated sewage into this facility every day! This plant can only handle 1.8 million gallons per day and over the last 3 years has exceeded that capacity on 80 separate occasions which means that less than fully treated sewage is dumped into Sycamore Creek. So if they have the ability to treat 1.8 million gallons today, possibly 3.5 million gallons some day (if approved) where is the additional 600,000 gallons of untreated waste water going to go every day? “GEE I DON’T KNOW BUT LET’S SURE BUILD A BUNCH MORE HOUSES AND FIND OUT!”
Shaver's fellow service committee member Doug Parker was hesitant, saying he wanted to examine the effect of any moratorium on the city's debt for sewer and water plants. Parker also said he feared a moratorium would just push new development to the city's borders.
"It is not going to stop development," Parker said.