10 Jan 2024

Draft environmental assessment, Section 594 ‎Village of Lowell Wastewater Treatment Plant project, Washington County, Ohio

The Village of Lowell, Ohio is proposing to design and construct a wastewater treatment plant replacement project adjacent to their existing treatment plant located in Washington County, Ohio. The existing treatment plant was built in 1987, and many of its components are well beyond their functional lifecycle/lifespan. The treatment plant’s headworks lift station has experienced significant corrosion and currently only one (1) pump is in working condition. In addition, the grit removal facility and the majority of the oxidation basin diffusers have failed and are no longer in use. The treatment plant does not have the adequate sludge storage, digester, and dewatering capabilities necessary to keep biological processes optimal, and the sludge bed is susceptible to flooding. Capacity of the treatment plant has diminished significantly in the past 10 years and has led to multiple instances of exceeding Ohio Environmental Protection Agency limitations on effluent flow. The proposed replacement wastewater treatment plant would address the unsanitary and unsafe conditions associated with the existing treatment plant.