Village has options for water plant

FORT RECOVERY — The village has two new options for water treatment moving forward.

Fort Recovery village administrator Randy Diller pointed out two possible plans during Monday’s Fort Recovery Village Council meeting.

PMG Consulting conducted a study on the village’s water plant starting in February and recently finished. Currently, the village uses lime and caustic soda, which have drastically increased in cost in recent years.

The proposal from PMG suggests changing to the ion exchange method or the reverse osmosis method, both of which Diller said would reduce expenses significantly.

“It’s a 40-year-old (water) plant, so, it’s time,” noted Diller.

If the village switches to reverse osmosis treatment, he added, it’s estimated the village would save roughly $200,000. According to Diller, PMG has suggested the savings could pay for the construction of a new building for the reverse osmosis treatment.

If his estimates are correct, Diller said, the village could add a small metal building to the water plant and eliminate the need for several machines and chemicals, such as the aerator and clarifier as well as lime caustic materials and carbon dioxide.

“That savings, if you didn’t change your rates, the savings would fund that RO (reverse osmosis) payment,” said Diller. “So, it’s something we’ve got to look into, but it’s certainly promising, and it would allow us to operate the plant in a different manner.”

Minster utilizes the reverse osmosis treatment and Coldwater uses the ion exchange treatment, he added.

Diller explained he’s coordinating a meeting for water plant employees and officials to go through the study’s details.

“We’ve just got to understand it better,” he said.

In other business, council members Cliff Wendel, Scott Pearson, Al Post, Luke Knapke, Erik Fiely and Greg Schmitz:

•Learned Ambassador Pool’s last day open for the summer will be Aug. 20

•Amended the wage ordinance in relation to utility operator trainee Aidan O’Dell. His probationary period on the job is over, meaning he received a $0.75 raise starting Monday.

•Discussed putting up signage to discourage out-of-town truck drivers from veering off the truck route through the village