The funds will also help Nelsonville purchase and improve the Village of Buchtel’s wastewater treatment system by reducing user fees. The state funding will offset much of the cost for the additional collection systems in neighboring areas and more importantly, have a healthier impact on residents.

Gary Silcott, an engineer and principal with Stantec, is the project manager for the Carbon Hill and Murray City portion of the project. A Stantec study had been commissioned to look at unsewered areas of Hocking County.

 

“Murray City was the number one priority because the EPA was trying to work with them to get that sewered before they forced them to do it and then as a part of the regionalization project with Nelsonville is when Carbon Hill got brought in as well, because Nelsonville is going to have to expand their treatment facility to provide service to both communities so it made sense to do them at the same time,” explained Silcott.

The overall cost of the project to all three areas is $24,892,448, but due to the cooperation of the funding agencies working together, around $17.7 million in grant money has been awarded to the project, according to Silcott.

Residents of Murray City and Carbon Hill may also qualify for grant funding to help with paying the costs of connecting to the sewer system.

 

“The communities working together have really made this project a reality. Without that cooperation, agency agreements and their support, I don’t know that it would be feasible,” concluded Betts.

* * * Grace Warner is a reporter for The Logan Daily News.