Ohio EPA Recognizes Miamisburg’s Wastewater and Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement Efforts
Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Ohio EPA Director Craig W. Butler recognized the City of Miamisburg today for its efforts to improve wastewater treatment and drinking water treatment for its residents. He visited one of the city’s current projects, seeing upgrades being made to the city’s water reclamation facility.
The water reclamation facility project will improve the city’s ability to handle peak wet weather flows. This will lead to fewer sanitary sewer overflows and treatment plant bypasses, reducing public health risks from exposure to untreated waste and improving water quality in the Great Miami River.
Ohio EPA also highlighted its reorganized Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance, which a year ago became a “one-stop shop” to assist businesses and communities looking for technical and financial resources to help them achieve regulatory compliance and improve environmental stewardship.
“Miamisburg has taken the initiative to improve its infrastructure to better serve its residents and businesses and to protect the Great Miami River, one of the region’s best assets,” Director Butler said. “It is important to Ohio EPA that we assist these efforts with low-interest financing and help the city through the permitting and financing process.”
“Our community is tackling a number of significant projects to upgrade water and sewer systems, and we’ve worked with Ohio EPA every step of the way,” Mayor Dick Church, Jr. said. “The City of Miamisburg takes very seriously its role as a public utility, and we appreciate that partnership.”
Today’s tour of the water reclamation plant construction highlighted just one of several projects underway in the city over the next two years. On the wastewater side, additional projects include replacement of the Westover and Eastside pump stations, replacement of sewer lines and a force main and the addition of an equalization tank.
The public drinking water supply improvements include new transmission lines on Kercher Street and Riverview Avenue, replacement of the city’s five well houses and rehabilitation of the Richard Street water tank.
Ohio EPA’s state revolving loan programs have made several loans to the city for the water and wastewater projects, totaling approximately $39 million, over the past 18 months. At the reduced interest rates, Ohio EPA’s loan programs will save the city about $6 million.
In addition to the state revolving loan programs, which offer below market-rate loans for water and sewer projects, Ohio EPA’s Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance can assist small businesses with navigating and complying with environmental regulations; help businesses and organization identify and implement pollution prevention measures; provide technical assistance to small community wastewater treatment systems to improve operations; provide funding for recycling and litter cleanup activities and identify market development opportunities to support recycling; and recognize the outstanding efforts of Ohio’s businesses, communities and organizations who make commitments to environmental stewardship.
More information about the Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance and how it can assist businesses and communities is available at http://epa.ohio.gov/defa/EnvironmentalandFinancialAssistance.aspx.
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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Dina Pierce
CITIZEN CONTACT: Darla Peelle
