Local News

EL to receive grant for wastewater treatment projects

EAST LIVERPOOL --The City of East Liverpool will receive $1.9 million of the $114 million in grant funding being dispersed through the Ohio Broadband, Utilities and Infrastructure for Local Development Success (BUILDS) Water Infrastructure Program.

The BUILDS Initiative began in 2021 as a continuation of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's H2Ohio initiative which began in 2019. The BUILDS program's purpose is to reduce or eliminate the local financial burdens associated with critical infrastructure needs such as new water system, replacement of aging water lines, the prevention of sewer system backups and the replacement of failing household sewage treatment systems, according to an earlier news release from DeWine's office.

"Ohio BUILDS (Broadband, Utilities, and Infrastructure for Local Development Success) will focus not only on strengthening Ohio's communities through water infrastructure upgrades, but it will also make other necessary investments in targeted solutions that impact quality of life such as broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, the demolition of blighted buildings, and more, the release said.

The Ohio Builds water infrastructure grants were funded by the Ohio General Assembly with funds appropriated from the ARPA (American Rescue Plan ACT).

"I'm thankful for the previous General Assembly and the Governor for approving this funding, and it's my intention to support similar future initiatives for the benefit of our cities, townships, and villages throughout Columbiana County," said State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana County).

The funds from the program,, which is in its fourth round of funding, will go toward the city's upcoming Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) improvements to fix issues that the Ohio EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has deemed as violations --some as far back as 20 years ago.

According to East Liverpool Mayor Greg Bricker, the violations stem all the way back to the early 2000s. The city went after the biggest of the violations that it could start to fix. The city was looking at taking out a $4 million loan to finance the cost of fixing the violations and updating the WWTP.

"This is a huge turning point for us. Instead of getting $4 million in a loan we are probably going to do $2 million in a loan and the rest will be the $1.9 (million) in grant money," Bricker said. "The big one for the city is we are able to keep rates lower, so getting a $2 million loan instead of a $4 million loan is definitely a big savings for the city and the residents."

The city has received nearly $10 million in grant money over the past three years, but this is probably the largest grant the city has ever received.

Bricker also attributed success in getting the grant to Dallis Dawson & Associates, the project's engineer and the city's safety/service director David Dawson.

One of the violations for the WWTP the city is looking to fix with the grant money is the flow

equalization basin which, according to Jon F. Blair, Jr., P.E., Dallis Dawson & Associates, will include a new disinfection system, new overflow metering and a new alarm system which will help monitor any overflows going to the Ohio River.

The second one is for the two digesters. They are looking to clean and inspect both the tanks and perform any tank rehabilitation, equipment removal/replacement, some pump and piping removal/replacement connected to the control of methane .there will also be some boiler improvements made.

"This will primarily fix the violations that they have at the wastewater treatment plant," Blair said. "They have some additional ones that they are addressing on their own, but these address the equipment and things like that that need to be engineered."

According to Blair, in addition to the $1.9 million grant, the city has other funding which Dallis and Dawson have helped secure for the project including a $250,000 ARC grant and estimated around $2 million from the Ohio EPA's WPCLF (Water Pollution Control Loan Fund). Blair noted that the city was looking at a $4 million loan, but receipt of the grant cut that in half. He also said the city has a few improvements it is doing on its own at what is called the headworks facility where a new mechanical bar screen in addition to new raw water sewage pumps will be installed.

Blair described the headworks as where all the sewage comes in right at the head of the plant. He said the city is trying to eliminate any of the larger objects from getting downstream to the digestors to make it a lot easier for them to keep clean and that the sanitary sewer flows are controlled at the headworks.

For the residents this means they are primarily looking at safer treatment and getting more up-to-date equipment, according to Blair.

"It's safer treatment because ultimately all the water that gets treated gets discharged to the Ohio River," Blair said. "So that main goal of the equipment upgrades and ensuring that everything is up to date, and they have newer equipment and don't have any failing equipment so the better the treatment of it is the cleaner the water is."

Dallis Dawson and Associates are looking to bid the project soon and anticipate seeing work start on the project as early as next spring.

"For Columbiana County, now more than ever, it's critical we seek to improve and protect our treatment of both drinking and wastewater throughout the district," Blasdel said. "I'm very pleased to support this grant that's aimed at making important enhancements to the city's wastewater plant to ensure the treatment and discharge into the Ohio River and for sewer extensions.