City weighs fixes, regional options
VERMILION — Millions of dollars have been spent trying to reduce the amount of rainwater and groundwater entering Vermilion’s sanitary sewer system, but city officials say a major and potentially costly problem remains.
Ward 4 Councilman Homer Taft raised concerns during the July 6 Vermilion City Council committee meetings about the city’s continuing struggle with inflow and infiltration, commonly referred to in wastewater systems as I&I.
In simple terms, inflow and infiltration are unwanted water entering the sanitary sewer system.
Inflow happens when stormwater enters the system quickly, such as through leaking manholes, major pipe defects or improper connections from gutters and foundation drains.
Infiltration happens more slowly when groundwater seeps into the system through cracked pipes, failing sewer laterals and other defects.
That additional water then has to be pumped and treated along with sewage, increasing costs and placing more pressure on the city’s wastewater system during heavy rain.
Taft said the city has spent $7.5 million on contracted work intended to reduce the problem in the Vermilion on the Lake area, in addition to what he described as the better part of $7 million spent on outside consultants.
Taft said the work appears to have produced some improvement in inflow, although he emphasized that assessment was based on observation rather than measurement. He said recent heavy rain events indicate little overall improvement has been made in the slower infiltration problem.
Taft said that during a major rain event about a month earlier, the wastewater treatment plant recorded a flow of 9.9 million gallons in one day, a record. He also pointed to sanitary sewer overflows and problems experienced by residents during heavy rain.
“We must fix this,” Taft said.
Taft said the total amount of water and sewage reaching the wastewater system is about five times the metered water use on which sewer charges are based.
He estimated that reducing the amount of unnecessary water entering the sewer system by half could potentially save close to $1 million annually in future treatment costs.
The issue becomes particularly important as Vermilion considers whether to eventually send its wastewater to a regional treatment system.
Under such an arrangement, the city would be paying for treatment based on the total volume it sends, including rainwater and groundwater entering the sanitary sewer system.
Finding the source
Taft called for a more aggressive effort to determine where that water is coming from.
His proposals included continuously monitoring flows at lift stations, reviewing existing video inspections of private sewer laterals, investigating unexplained constant flows, measuring changes during rain events and using methods such as smoke testing to identify defective or improper connections.
Taft also proposed considering part- or full-time city employees to investigate and document problems and conduct enforcement work, rather than relying entirely on outside contractors.
The most difficult part of the issue could involve private property.
Taft said he believes the majority of infiltration comes from old, failing connections on private property. He said owners are responsible for repairing or replacing defective laterals and correcting improper stormwater connections.
Taft also said the city should consider ways to help residents bear those costs through financing, assessments, coordinated contractor pricing or other assistance.
Ward 1 councilman John Gabriel raised concerns about the difficulty and expense of requiring changes to older homes that may have been constructed according to standards in effect at the time.
Seeking a long-term solution
Mayor Russ Owens said the administration is aware of the problem and is attempting to address it as part of a larger wastewater strategy.
Owens said the city is dealing with problems involving both its wastewater treatment plant and its sewer collection system. With about 4,500 wastewater customers, he said, Vermilion cannot place the entire financial burden of solving those problems on residents.
“You can’t put all of the burden on our residents,” Owens said.
Owens said the administration is preparing a presentation for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 office as part of an effort to demonstrate the city’s financial limitations and seek federal and state assistance.
The administration hopes that could eventually help the city obtain financial assistance through grant funding, loan forgiveness or other programs.
At the same time, Owens said Vermilion continues negotiations with Erie County, Lorain County and the city of Lorain about possible regional wastewater options. He said those discussions are making significant progress.
Even after an agreement is reached, Owens said, a regional connection could take four or five years to complete.
During that time, Vermilion would still have to reduce the amount of rainwater and groundwater entering its sanitary sewer system. Owens said potential regional partners do not want to process Vermilion’s excess rainwater and expect the problem to be addressed before a connection is completed.
Meanwhile, Owens said the city is making the capital improvements it can afford to keep its existing wastewater treatment plant operating until a long-term solution can be completed.
Despite differences over the effectiveness of previous work and how the city should proceed, the discussion made one point clear: Whether Vermilion continues treating its own wastewater or connects to a regional system, reducing the amount of unnecessary water entering the sanitary sewer system will remain a central part of the city’s wastewater challenge.