Incoming Vermilion Mayor Russell Owens says the city’s wastewater project, and the steep rate hikes tied to it, will be one of his top priorities when he takes office in January.
In an interview with Vermilion Daily, Owens criticized how the project has been managed, arguing that Vermilion cannot afford to keep relying on expensive outside firms and short-term fixes. “The city’s wastewater problem is the biggest problem ahead of roads,” Owens said. “The challenge is how we deal with the EPA mandates in a way that’s reasonable, not overreach.”
Owens pointed to the city’s contract with national engineering firm CDM Smith, which was hired to address EPA-mandated wastewater upgrades. The company’s plan called for a 76-million-dollar new plant, with roughly seven million borrowed to cover the design phase. He said that loan alone triggered the sharp increase in local water and sewer rates.
“Can you imagine how much the rates will go up if we were to build a 76-million-dollar plant?” he said. “These are unsustainable solutions to problems that might have other answers.”
Owens said he personally reviewed the city’s invoices and contracts with CDM Smith and discovered a clause that allows the city to pause the project with proper notice. He believes Vermilion should exercise that option to reassess its direction. He also noted that the city has already paid about 3.7 million dollars of the 6.9 million dollar design loan, with little detail provided on how those funds were spent.
Comparing Vermilion’s proposal to Huron’s recent wastewater upgrade, Owens noted that nearby communities have managed large-scale improvements at much lower costs. In Huron, the existing Sawmill Creek facility is being converted into a pumping station that will send sewage to the Huron Basin treatment plant. That system will handle about five million gallons of wastewater a day on average, and up to sixteen million gallons on the busiest days.
To make that possible, Huron’s project includes a new pump station, sixteen thousand feet of underground pipe including a section beneath the Huron River, and a complete expansion of the main treatment plant. The total cost for that project is about twenty-one million dollars, including a one-million-dollar engineering fee. Owens said the Huron facility is three to four times larger than Vermilion’s system, which makes the cost difference even more concerning.
By comparison, Vermilion’s plan for a smaller system was projected to cost about seventy-six million dollars. Owens said his concern is not about copying Huron’s design but about making sure Vermilion’s plan is financially realistic. “If a nearby city can upgrade a much larger system for twenty-one million dollars, and we are being told we need seventy-six million for a smaller one, then we have to ask hard questions about how our money is being managed,” he said.
Looking ahead, Owens said he plans to approach the EPA with a new, sustainable plan that focuses on accountability and efficiency. He intends to reorganize the city’s operations department, including the water and wastewater divisions, and create a project manager position to oversee progress, budgets, and communication with the EPA.
“There’s no reason the city can’t manage its own improvements,” he said. “We need to be responsible to our citizens’ tax dollars, and we need to manage these upgrades like a business would, with clear goals, accountability, and transparency.”
Owens said his priority is to present the EPA with a plan that Vermilion can afford to carry out over time rather than pushing residents into deeper debt. “We can’t keep asking citizens for money they don’t have,” he said. “We need to take a step back, work within a sustainable budget, and make sure Vermilion’s future is financially responsible.”
This story is Part 1 of a 5-part series featuring Vermilion’s next mayor Russell Owens’ interview with Vermilion Daily.
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