Village of Peninsula
Environmental Sustainability Project
Working with the Ohio EPA, the Summit County Department of Sanitary Sewer Services (DSSS) is pleased to announce the commencement of the Village of Peninsula environmental sustainability project, a process that has been ongoing for 40-50 years, to remove the sources of pollution entering the Cuyahoga River from private and public property septic tanks and package wastewater treatment plants.
Summit County DSSS has contracted with the team of Burgess and Niple, Inc. (B&N) and Environmental Design Group (EDG) to complete the design of the sanitary sewer system and wastewater treatment plant required to properly address the pollution.
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Project Update
Surveyors from Environmental Design Group will be in the Village on Wednesday, October 23rd, staking out the location of the proposed Wastewater Plant; including fence location & building location, as well as, the alignment for the effluent sewer from the Wastewater Plant along Mill Street - between General Die Casters and Terry Lumber & Supply
Village Highlights
The Village is located in Northeast Ohio, in Northern Summit County, and in the middle of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP). Given its location, the Village serves as the historic and cultural center of the CVNP, and its quaint shops and restaurants have made it the gateway for many of the CVNP’s nearly 3 million annual visitors. The Village has become an indispensable part of the CVNP, which is now the 9th most visited National Park in the United States
Project Background
Summit County Public Health (SCPH) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) confirmed, through sampling, elevated levels of E. Coli being discharged from the Village’s individual sewage treatment systems to the Cuyahoga River which has, over recent years, seen immense clean-up and restoration measures. Due to the Village’s small size and limited tax base, an affordable sanitary sewer solution had been virtually impossible to secure.
Project Development and Funding
In mid 2024, the County of Summit will commence with the engineering design to construct and install sanitary sewer collection and water reclamation treatment facilities in the designated Village sewer district to address ongoing environmental issues affecting the Cuyahoga River. A preliminary engineering report was completed by Environmental Design Group (consultant) that established an initial cost estimate of $10 million. Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro has set aside $7.5 million of local funds and has obtained a $500,000 grant from the State of Ohio (H2Ohio funds). This funding provides a financially viable plan to bring sewer service to its residents and businesses. The County is pursuing additional resources to close the project funding gap and ensure the project moves forward to bring further environmental enhancement and sustainability to the Cuyahoga River and provide critical infrastructure facilities to a gateway community to the CVNP.
Link to Preliminary Engineering Report: https://co.summitoh.net/files-generic/Peninsula-Sanitary-Sewer-Study.html
Image courtesy of National Geographic
Image courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency