Avon Lake Regional Water works hard to
provide safe, reliable, affordable water to your sink, toilet, shower,
irrigation system—wherever and whenever you need it. All for about $1/day, we
do this and then collect, clean, and return to Lake Erie the water you use.
One of the newest threats we
protect you from is toxic
algae. Water utilities, regulators, academics, and others are placing
significant effort on improving understanding about microcystin and other
toxins found in harmful algal blooms (HABs). Just last month, USEPA
issued draft health advisory levels for microcystin. These health advisory
levels are set to be finalized in June, and Ohio EPA is determining how to best
implement them. Advisory
levels are not regulations. They are guidelines. In establishing these
advisory levels (guidelines) for microcystin, USEPA has published separate
acceptable levels for children younger than school age and for all others. The guidelines
have been set to where USEPA knows of no ill effects for people exposed to
these levels for 10 days.
Avon Lake Regional Water
monitors for microcystin in both the raw water coming in from Lake Erie and the
finished water being sent into the distribution system and then to you. In
2014, microcystin was measured above detection limits in the raw water coming
in from the lake only once. It was never measured above detection limits in the
finished water we provide to you. Current
predictions are for this year's algae bloom to be less severe than last
year.
We are confident in our
ability to remove microcystin through the treatment process. However, in case
algal blooms get much worse (and to do double duty to help mitigate icing
events), you will begin seeing major changes at our water filtration plant.
Starting in July, a large hole will be excavated in the field across the street
from the plant. That is where we will construct new clearwells that will store 2
million gallons of water for use during emergencies. During the next two years,
we will construct these clearwells and additional pumping and emergency power
generation facilities. We will also rehabilitate several filters to improve
treatment ability and convert some existing basins to allow water to be
recycled within the plant and reduce the burden on the wastewater treatment
facility—thereby reducing our impact on Lake Erie.
These improvements will be
made using money from the state revolving loan fund. Through a competitive
application, approximately $23 million will be loaned at a 0% interest rate.
That will save our customers more than $250,000 per year for the next 20 years.
We have also qualified for the 0%-interest loans for the 3 million gallons of
elevated storage and the emergency interconnection with Elyria we hope to
construct within the next two years. The 0% interest for these two projects
should save an additional $100,000 per year.
During the past year, Avon
Lake Regional Water has installed additional abilities to detect harmful algal
blooms and microcystin, begun the construction of treatment and storage
improvements, initiated design of an emergency interconnection with a
neighboring utility, and started conversations for emergency interconnection
with another utility. We strongly embrace our mission to provide the region
with quality water services and strive to meet our vision of being a trusted
and treasured community asset that enhances quality of life.
Avon Lake Regional
Water is your water and wastewater service provider. Questions/comments?
Contact us via phone (440-933-6226), email (contact@avonlakewater.org), social media
(Facebook: /avonlakewater,
Twitter @avonlakewater,
Instagram: avonlakewater), or
in person (201 Miller Road). You can also
learn more by watching our semi-monthly Board Recap show on ALC-TV’s government
channel (Time Warner 12 or WOW! 21) or logging on to avonlake.pegcentral.com to see recap
shows or Board meetings.
