During Monday night’s regular council meeting, Richwood Mayor Scott Jerew reported smoke testing of the sewer lines will be performed today.
Should rain delay the process, testing will be held on Wednesday. Jerew also stated that the testing will not be abandoned this time, as it has been in the past.
Village Administrator Monte Asher stated that the EPA has been monitoring the inflow and infliltration of water going into the sewer plant. The lines average 70 to 80,000 gallons of water a day going into the sewer plant and after rain falls in the area. The lines sometimes process one million gallons of water a day, which is too much water coming into the sewer plant, according to officials.
One test to see if property owners are illegally hooked up to the sewer lines is to smoke test the lines by putting a vapor in manholes. As the vapor moves through the lines, it may appear inside a house, in downspouts, sump pumps and tile laterals. Many property owners are unaware that the lines are illegal or that their lines are hooked directly to sewer lines. Tree roots breaking through tile or downspouts hooked up incorrectly can also be revealed by the test.
Officials will perform the test and village employees will monitor homes to see if any vapor shows outside of the house. Asher said residents should not be alarmed if they see the vapor, as the vapor is not harmful to humans or pets. T
Residents will be notified if officials spot vapor coming from the house or outside of the home. A homeowner will receive notification of where the problem is located and it will be the property owner’s responsibility to correct the issue within a stated amount of time.
The village may also find it has some areas to fix. In past smoke tests, some catch basins have showed vapor, which when identified and corrected, will help remove water from going into the sewer plant.
Asher said that the village needs to fix the inflow and infiltration problem, as it is causing the village thousands of dollars fixing overworked pumps at the sewer plant.
In other business, council:
-Has received two applications so far to fill the open council seat. There will be an interview of applicants Monday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.
-Learned the massive amount of vines growing up the former town hall building have been removed.
-Heard the bullet proof vest replacement program has a 25 percent grant match.Asher, serving in his role as police chief, stated some of the vest are more than 10 years old.
-Heard that officer Sebastian Walker has left the police force and the department is in the process of hiring a new officer.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. at the administration building, 153 N. Franklin St.