A new permit that could double the Johnstown Water Treatment Plant’s output has residents concerned about flooding, though public officials say there’s no need to panic.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency hosted a public hearing at the Johnstown Independent Baptist Church about the city’s proposal, which would double the amount of discharge from the water treatment plant.
Currently, the Johnstown Water Treatment Plant discharges about 1.2 million gallons of water per day into Racoon Creek. Johnstown has applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to double the output to 2.4 million gallons per day.
That permit, the EPA said, would help the plant “accommodate increased demand for service due to area development.”
Johnstown-NPDES-permitResidents have already dealt with flooding from Raccoon Creek and are concerned about the increase in water flow in the creek. But city officials are promising to maintain the balance of meeting the needs of development and meeting environmental regulations.
Max Moore, Ohio EPA Public Information Officer, ran the Oct. 22 public hearing. The meeting consisted of an informational presentation, a question and answer session from the public, and public testimony. The intention of the meeting was to hear comments from citizens about the potential expansion of the plant to inform the EPA’s decision when issuing the permit.
David Brumbaugh, from the Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water, has been working on the Johnstown wastewater treatment plant NPDES permit and presented information about the NPDES permit during the meeting.
Brumbaugh said the expansion includes an increased limit of pollutants discharged into Raccoon Creek – the concentration of pollutants remains about the same, but there is an increase of pollutants with the increase of the output.
Brumbaugh said there will be antidegradation-based limits in place to protect and maintain the existing uses of Raccoon Creek. For example, there will be new limits for phosphorus and nitrogen to keep the biology of the water healthy.
There were no questions from the meeting attendees during the question and answer portion of the meeting. Written comments from the public will be received and considered until October 29, 2024.
Gary Ford, a lifelong resident and farmer in Johnstown, reminded everyone that Racoon Creek floods, and he is concerned that adding 1.2 million gallons to the plant’s output will devastate the farmers and the community.
“It is going to be devastating and totally against us [farmers],” Ford said.
Daniel Almendinger, a resident adjacent to the water treatment plant, is concerned about the potential flooding of Raccoon Creek. He said he had already experienced major flooding issues in April. Over the last decade, flooding damage has cost him tens of thousands of dollars of crops and fertilizers.
“An increase in the discharge into Racoon Creek would just further diminish our ability to make a living farming, and continue to hurt our livelihoods even more,” Almendinger said.
Raccoon Creek runs behind Mike Dixon’s home in Johnstown. He said that residents have been concerned about their water being polluted with all the development coming to the area. Dixon has waded through Raccoon Creek but will not if this expansion is approved because he is too worried about the fecal matter in the water.
“In my opinion … City leaders have done a poor job of planning for the future,” Dixon said. “They allowed this development and are now wondering what to do with the waste that they’ve created.”
Rob Platte — the administrator in Jersey Township, which abuts Johnstown — spoke against the wastewater treatment plant in his public testimony.
He questioned if the expansion is truly needed because the permit states there are no regional sewer systems that the city of Johnstown could connect to, but he believes that Johnstown should assess the feasibility of connecting to an already existing facility. Platte was concerned that the expansion of the plant would harm Raccoon Creek’s ecosystem. He also questioned if the plant would be operated correctly because there have been seven violations in the plant in the last three years.
“Johnstown owes it to our residents and our communities to be responsible and transparent,” Platte said.
Stephen Samuels, an environmental counsel from Frost Brown Todd, spoke against some of the statements Platte made. He said that Raccoon Creek is in full attainment, and there is no proof that the expansion will harm macroinvertebrates and fish in the water if the plant complies with the standards set by the Ohio EPA.
Sean Staneart, Johnstown’s city manager, said the plant will follow all environmental regulations and use best practices when operating the plant. Staneart is willing to further investigate how the plant will affect residents since so many are concerned about the flooding.
“We would like to have local solutions to local problems,” Staneart said. “We genuinely want to have a good relationship with our neighboring community.”
Kristy Hawthorne, district program administrator for Licking County Soil and Water, said she has been a part of the conversation about the Johnstown plant expansion since it began years ago. She is not concerned about the water quality in Raccoon Creek. Hawthorne said that the plant would have an output of 1 cubic foot per second, and that would not be the cause of flooding.
“That’s not causing flooding. Other things are causing flooding,” Hawthorne said.
According to Hawthorne, stormwater management and extreme weather events are causing flooding in Raccoon Creek.
Read more: Floodwater receding after April storms, more rain and possibly snow on the way
Jim Roberts, executive director of the Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District, said that he understands the need to maintain rivers’ environmental standards while meeting the growing needs of the community. He said the plant can and must maintain the balance of these two things.
“We do ask the OEPA to ensure that other facilities such as the one being discussed tonight are held at the same standards our facilities are being held to,” Roberts said.
Herb Koehler, Village Manager for Granville, supports an expansion of the Johnstown wastewater treatment plant.
“This move supports both the future of the city of Johnstown and advance of the collective vision between Granville, Alexandria, and Johnstown to become a regional provider of water and wastewater services in Western Licking County,” Koehler said.
Koehler said this is responsible growth and a local solution to a regional problem. The expansion of the plant would not hinder the sense of place and abundant natural resources that the community values.
Caroline Zollinger writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.