EATON TWP. — Those piles of sewer pipe along state Routes 57 and 82 and other township roads are the first sign of what is expected to become one of the largest construction projects in Lorain County in the next several years.

Some $20 million of work on the 37-mile sewer is getting under way by eight Ohio companies, according to Rob Berner, executive director of the Lorain County Rural Wastewater District.

The economic impact should be considerable as sewer pipes up to 21 inches in diameter are laid in Eaton and Carlisle townships, said Berner, the former mayor of Avon Lake.

Pipe will be laid 20 feet deep along portions of the route, Berner said.

The project is 13 years in the making and was designed to alleviate sources of pollution to the Black River, Berner said.

He said LORCO will pump the sewage from 1,375 existing homes to the Avon Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Within 20 years, an additional 3,700 new homes could be connected to the new system, opening portions of Eaton and Carlisle townships for development, he said.

While the pipe is being laid now, the first connections to existing homes won’t take place until early 2011, said Berner, who was hired last month to lead the sewer district following the retirement of Fred Alspach.

Once the pipe is laid, the system has to be tested before the first homes will be connected, said Berner, who is earning about $85,000 in his new position.

A tunnel will be bored under state Route 10 in the area of the former castle-like structure built by the late Dr. Leonard Faymore in Carlisle Township east of Grafton Road, Berner said.

Plans call for the sewer line to travel northward to the east of Chestnut Commons, the shopping center containing the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Elyria, although that location is the subject of a pending court fight, Berner said.

Elyria is battling plans for the sewer, saying it would encroach on the service area of Elyria’s sewer system.

In November, the city lost its efforts to temporarily halt work on the project before it began. A full hearing on Elyria’s request to overturn an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency permit to install the sewer is expected in April, according to Lisa Eschleman, chair of the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission.

LORCO also has faced opposition from residents and other critics, who contend that the sewer isn’t necessary and is not economically feasible.

While a number of obstacles remain, Berner said, “We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t think we could.”

Berner said LORCO expects to receive a $5 million federal stimulus grant to offset the cost of the project.

He said he is working on funding from the Rural Homeowners Assistance Program to help those under 80 percent of the area’s mean income to offset costs of the project.

Tap-in fees for existing homes will be $5,000 or $130 to $140 every six months when spread over 20 years, Berner said.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---