EPA ASKS NEW BOSTON TO DEVELOP SEWER PLAN

During our council session April 3, 2012, representatives from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spoke to us regarding development of a long-term sewer control plan.

Evidently the Ohio EPA began sending letters to the village in 2005 asking for a long-term sewer control plan that would divide the village's current combined sewer system into two separate lines, one sewer line and one storm water line. With no response from the village, the Ohio EPA turned the matter over to the U.S. EPA in 2007.

The chief concern seems to be the village's combined sewer overthrows (CSO), which is what occurs when too much water and sewage flow through the sewer lines. When that happens, the excess flow will bypass the two pump stations and dump into the river.

The EPA is also concerned about instances of overflows happening inside people's basements. According to Village Administrator Steve Hamilton, this occurs when the home's sanitary line is tapped into the storm line.

The Ohio EPA asked village council to begin thinking about its long-term control plan. The biggest challenge to this entire project will undoubtedly be funding. With limited funding available, the EPA discussed several options.

One option is the village try to renegotiate a 30-year signed agreement with Portsmouth whereby currently the village gets no money from revenues paid by village residents for sewage.

Another option discussed would be for the village to add its own additional charges onto the bill for New Boston customers. The EPA suggested that a 50-cent or one dollar fee would not create a large pot of money but would be a start.

Another option is metering the sewage as it enters or leaves the village and charging a fee to the City of Portsmouth for whatever the sewage and stormwater they send through the lines.

Yet another option is for the village to turn all sewer lines totally over to Portsmouth to maintain. This option to me is almost absurd as the City of Portsmouth is having trouble maintaining its own lines and adding our lines would be of no advantage.

A final option discussed was the village deciding to build its own treatment plant to serve the residents of New Boston. It could be the most expensive option overall as it has been virtually impossible to get any state or federal monies for infrastructure work in the village.

Over the next several weeks our council is going to have to move forward in establishing a long-term control plan. Various beginning goals, intermediary goals and finally long-term goals are going to have to be developed and implemented. Some of the goals are certainly going to revolve around funding.

Mike Payton
4-9-2012

NEW BOSTON HAS GREAT CLEAN-UP DAY

This past weekend across New Boston students and residents pitched in to clean up the village with the year's first village-wide clean up day.

Large dumpsters were placed on the old Walmart parking lot in New Boston for village residents to drop off any trash or unwanted items. Hazardous or toxic materials were not accepted: this included refrigerators, batteries, televisions, gasoline containers or paint cans.

For those residents who were unable to bring their trash to the dumpsters, the village arranged to pick up whatever they could.

Volunteers from Walmart, Genesis, village council and village employees were walking through New Boston on Saturday picking up litter and trash in the streets and students from Glenwood High School's Honor Society and Student Council were also out picking up trash. Participating students also earned valuable community service points than can be applied toward their college scholarship applications.

Keeping New Boston clean is just another part of the great Tiger Pride our village exhibits every day. My thanks and congratulations to all who participated this year.

Mike Payton
4-1-2012