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Grant: $4,000,000 |
Outline of Need: The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), Butler County Health Department, Butler County Commissioners and the Village of New Miami have all taken note of the deteriorating conditions within and surrounding the Village of New Miami due to failing on-site wastewater treatment systems. The area is currently experiencing deterioration of local water resources and increased health risks to residents due to the discharge of either partially or untreated wastewater in the area streams, rivers and groundwater resources. This area is part of the Miami Valley Buried Aquifer, which is designated as a Sole Source Aquifer by U.S. EPA under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Surface waters located within the project area include the Great Miami River, Four Mile Creek, and Seven Mile Creek. The Great Miami River is listed on the Nationwide Rivers Inventory and designated for its scenic, recreational, historic and cultural qualities. The OEPA has additionally designated each of the Great Miami River, Four Mile Creek and Seven Mile Creek as a warm water habitat, agricultural and industrial water supply and primary contact recreation body of water. |
How Rural Development Helped:
Rural Development originally committed a $4,020,000 loan and a $2,680,000 grant from the Water and Waste Disposal (WWD) program to be combined with an $800,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission. In addition, HUD/CDBG County provided a $100,000 grant to construct a new wastewater treatment plant and collection system to serve approximately 847 residential users and 13 commercial users within the Village of New Miami. Unfortunately, the Village was not able to bring this project to fruition due to high bids and changes needed in the design of the project. The Village opened negotiations with Butler County to determine whether Butler County would be willing to take over the project and make the necessary changes needed to develop a project that would benefit not only the Village but also the unincorporated areas of the County outside of the Village. The Rural Development WWD funds will allow Butler County to complete this project.
The Results:
Rural Development's financial assistance will enable Butler County to complete a wastewater treatment plant with design average daily capacity of 800,000 gallons and a sanitary sewer collection system to serve all residents located in the Village of New Miami as well as the surrounding unincorporated areas of the County. By construction of the new treatment facility, two older package plants at Cherokee Park subdivision and the New Miami School District will be eliminated, thus decreasing the effluent discharged. The project further involves the installation of approximately 30,000 linear feet of sewer collection line and one pump station.
Health risks will be significantly reduced for the Village of New Miami residents due to the elimination of partially treated and/or untreated wastewater discharges in the area. This could only be accomplished through the concerted efforts of multiple funding agencies. Discussions were held with Bob Leventry, of Butler County Environmental Sciences, who indicated that Rural Development assistance was essential in obtaining affordable user rates for these residents. The 2000 median household income of the Village of New Miami is $35,476, which is below Ohio's non-metropolitan median household income threshold; consequently the user charge was critical in developing a financially feasible project that these residents could afford.
Butler County, Ohio, is another example of Rural Development's proficiency in channeling funding to communities in need and leveraging its WWD funds with other joint funding agencies.
(L) Pictured, above: (L to R) New Miami Public Affairs Director Don Fox, New Miami Commissioner Bob Henley, New Miami Mayor Kenneth Cheek, 2004 Earth Day Student Volunteer Jonathan Butler, New Miami Vice-Mayor Krystal Murray, Rural Development Acting Under Secretary Gilbert Gonzalez and Ohio Rural Development State Director Randy Hunt share the spotlight during Ohio's 2004 Earth Day commemoration. Under Secretary Gonzalez visited Ohio to acknowledge the significance and community impact of the $11.2 million wastewater treatment project. (R) Pictured, above: Under Secretary Gonzalez with Student Volunteer Jonathan Butler.
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