Water Treatment Plant
The City’s Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is located on Sandhill Road at Sunset Drive. It is a State of Ohio Class III Public Water System that primarily provides iron and manganese removal. It began operation in 1975 and was originally designed to produce 2.5 MGD through four multi-media gravity filters rated at 3 GPM/sf. In 1990, the addition of four new multi-media filters increased the plant’s capacity to 5.0 MGD. From 2001 through 2004, the water plant underwent a series of studies, from enhanced manganese removal to a full-scale filter rate study. These studies were conducted to demonstrate to the OEPA that the plant was capable of filtering at a higher rate of 6 GPM/sf. Finally, in 2008, the OEPA approved an increase in the plant’s rated flow capacity to 6.5 MGD.
The water flows by gravity through the plant, oxidized by potassium permanganate and/or chlorine, filtered for iron and manganese removal, chlorinated, and fluoridated before entering one of the plant’s two clear wells, each having a 1.5 MGD storage capacity. From the clear wells, the water is pumped to the low-service and medium-service areas of the distribution system.
The City obtains source water from two well fields that draw water from the Mad River Buried Valley Aquifer. The City’s primary source of water is the Mad River Well Field, located on 42 acres of land off Osborn Road and adjacent to the Mad River. The well field was originally built in 1974 and expanded in 1994, 2008, and 2021. The well field presently has six wells with design capacities ranging from 800 to 2600 gallons per minute (GPM). Each well discharges into a 12 to 14-inch pipe connected to a 24-inch raw water transmission main. The transmission main convey the pumped water southeast to the Sandhill Road Water Treatment Plant over a distance of approximately 9,000 feet. The wells are operated automatically and are controlled by the level in the plant clearwells.
The WTP operates continuously, manned 8 hours a day by certified full-time operators. A state-of-the-art SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system monitors all facilities 24/7 and can automatically contact staff in the event of operational concern. The plant contains a bacteriological and chemical laboratory for running off water quality checks. Additionally, the operators are responsible for operating and maintaining five water towers and five pump/booster stations.
Please see the link for the 2023 Consumer Confidence Report