With the stroke of a few pens, thousands of Ohio residents will get the chance to be connected to a public sewage system for the first time.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District has entered into a more than $1.3-million project partnership agreement with the Hanoverton, Ohio Board of Commissioners, for the construction of a sewage processing plant.
The partnership agreement is the first step in the construction of a 50,000-gallon per day wastewater treatment plant. The plant will provide the village of Hanoverton’s almost 2,500 residents the opportunity to connect to a public sewage system for the first time.
“It’s always a pleasure to have an opportunity to provide our engineering expertise to a project that will impact a community in a big way,” said Col. Andrew “Coby” Short, commander, Pittsburgh District. “Projects like these allow the federal government, through the Corps of Engineers, to help communities protect and improve their water resources.”
Under Section 594 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1999 (PL 106-53), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is authorized to provide design and/or construction assistance to non-federal interests for carrying out water-related environmental infrastructure and resource protection and development projects within the state of Ohio.
The government shares the cost of the project with the county sponsor at a rate of 75 to 25 percent, respectively, under the Section 594 reimbursement program.
The treatment plant is a cost-efficient and environmentally-safer option for the community. It eliminates the homeowner cost for septic cleaning and removes the possibility of septic tank overflow.
“The new treatment plant will improve the water supply for the community by eliminating the chance of septic overflow,” said Project Manager Scott Swansinger, Pittsburgh District.
U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, of the 6th Congressional District, has worked closely with the Pittsburgh District to champion projects like these for communities such as Hanoverton.
“I was pleased to support the grant funding for this important project that has been long-sought after by local and county officials,” said Johnson. “Thank you to the Pittsburgh District of the Army Corps of Engineers for their hard work to bring this project closer than ever to fruition. It has taken a long time - almost two decades - to get to this point.”
The contract work is estimated to be completed by June 2021.