Service line location/identification survey and lime softening update
During the last Streets & Utilities meeting, Director John Ensman let the committee know that a second Lead Service Line Location/ Identification Survey will be mailed with the next Utility bill at the end of this month (you might have already received it). He urges Shelby residents to fill this out and return it to the Utilities Office. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on it to conduct the survey electronically.
The electronic version is also posted on the Shelby City website with a QR code and link to the survey. Ensman asks that residents please return the survey. He said the reason for the survey is that the City water utility is mandated by the Ohio EPA to identify and map all water service lines within the public water system. The completion date is scheduled to be December 2023.
Ensman also supplied the committee with the latest update on lime softening at Shelby’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. He met with the Ohio EPA Representative at the end of January for a Limited Scope Site Visit. They discussed the lime softening process and the softening gained compared to the financial costs. Ensman said the representative agreed that very little softening was gained when compared to the surface water hardness.
The next steps are to conduct a corrosion control study in accordance with ENG-9119GD (corrosion control guidance document) and submit a detailed engineer’s plan to the Ohio EPA. Ensman said they will have to detail the procedure to remove the lime softening process and the procedure to maintain the proper ph after the lime softening has stopped. He has contacted an
Engineer that has experience in water treatment.
Ensman said the removal of lime would require the ph to be adjusted by caustic soda. “This would help control the correct ph to maintain the protective coating inside the pipes. The superintendent is familiar with this treatment process,” he said. The next steps could take several months to work through the engineering process.