Water plant project coming

Major improvements mandated by Ohio EPA to begin in May

A major improvement project at Fairport Harbor Village’s water plant is scheduled to start in May.

Village Council recently approved a $419,072 contract with Union Industrial Contractors of Ashtabula Township to perform the project.

This endeavor will involve plant enhancements and upgrades mandated by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for treatment of harmful algal blooms.

In addition, the project will improve the overall water-treatment process, according to a fact sheet provided by village Engineer Clyde Hadden.

Union Industrial Contractors was the low bidder for the project. Fairport Harbor will pay for the work with a $197,500 Ohio Public Works Commission grant and $221,572 in village government funds.

The project at the plant, which is located at 5 High St., consists of four main components:

• Sedimentation basin weir improvements. These upgrades will add capacity to the weirs — structures used to control water-surface elevation — to improve sediment removal from water during pre-treatment.

• Repairing deteriorated portions of the sediment basin roof.

• Clearwell improvements, which will result in more efficient clarification of water.

A clearwell is a storage tank that holds filtered

water and allows for final disinfection to take place before the water is distributed to customers.

This phase of the work includes new pipes and baffles — curtain-like barriers — to improve effectiveness of treatment by increasing retention time within the clearwells. The improvements also will provide an alternate feed point ahead of the clearwells for efficient additional treatment options, if they’re ever needed.

• Replacement of filter media to maintain proper filtering qualities. Filter media are materials that absorb particles while allowing purified water to flow through during the filtration process.

If the project begins on time and stays on schedule, all work is expected to be completed by October.

Village Mayor Timothy Manross said it’s a big undertaking for a small community such as Fairport Harbor to operate its own water plant.

“It’s probably the single biggest item that keeps me awake at night,” he said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to do it, but it takes a lot of dedicated people.”