Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

Improvements to the Ohio American Water system

Stay up to date on the latest information regarding the agreement Ohio American Water made with the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) and staff of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to resolve both service and water quality issues in its service territory. The OCC will continue to monitor Ohio American Water and keep consumers updated on the latest improvements made to the issues you raised during public hearings.

Latest News

• New chemical treatment appears to be working

  Ohio American Water conducted filtration studies in April as a result of initial system findings in the Huber Ridge area. The studies led the company to make a request to the Ohio EPA to use chemicals that remove manganese from the water so performance can be better evaluated. Manganese is a mineral that naturally occurs at high levels in ground water – the type of delivery that Huber Ridge customers receive their water. The combination of manganese with chlorine – a chemical necessary to disinfect the water – could be one contributing factor for the discoloration of the water.

  On May 4, 2007, the Ohio EPA authorized the chemical treatment. The chemical treatment began May 18 and, to date, manganese was below the maximum allowable levels. Ohio American Water said full reduction of manganese will take three to four weeks because of the age of filters and the associated treatment systems.

  The Huber Ridge water system also is scheduled for flushing in June. Beginning June 12 and continuing June 13-14, Ohio American Water will flush water lines in all Huber Ridge areas west of Interstate 270 including Bader and Batavia. On June 20-21, all areas east of Interstate 270 will be flushed. The flushing will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

• Huber Ridge water pipes flushed for first time, several valves repaired

  The first actions to remedy the discolored water began in March, according to a report from Ohio American Water. Among the actions taken, was an aggressive flushing of pipes in the Huber Ridge water system. This flushing discharged deposits and produced a more complete cleaning. An inspection of valves also revealed several to be defective and were repaired.

  The flushing of the water distribution system is the first scheduled flushing completed. Ohio American Water indicated it would take “a couple of flushing activities” to fully clear the deposits.

  Twenty valves throughout the Huber Ridge system, which control the flow of water, were discovered to have been broken, buried, closed or not accessible. According to the report, those valves were repaired and are now operational. Ohio American Water has identified seven more valves that have been scheduled for repair by May 31 and four by June 30.

  Water samples also have been collected to assess water quality in Huber Ridge. Samples taken before the flushing revealed that manganese, an element found in many minerals, to be above the maximum levels allowed. The manganese decreased after the flushing, the report said. Additional samples will be taken in the months to come to confirm the preliminary results.

• Water softening brochure sent to Lake Darby customers

  Ohio American Water has developed an informational brochure explaining the hardness condition of water in its Franklin County District and what it does to bring the water to recommended levels. This aesthetic quality of water can be adjusted to each consumer’s preference through the use of an in-home water softener. The yellow-colored brochure touches on several items to consider before additional softening is implemented as well as what to do if a consumer is thinking about discontinuing use of their in-home water softener. The OCC also provides information on water softening through its fact sheet titled Water softening: Ins and outs. Ohio American Water also will make presentations about the Lake Darby softening program upon request.

• New summer billing program begins in May

  A new billing program for sewer service customers will begin May 1, 2007 as a result of concerns raised by consumers about the prices paid for sewer service during the summer months. The new program will bill consumers for sewer service based on their average usage during the winter months (December through February). If the actual summer usage is less than the winter average, the sewer bill will be based on summer usage. This formula will be used from May through September. For the remaining months, Ohio American Water will charge for sewer services based on actual usage. In April, Ohio American Water sent an informational brochure directly to customers with sewer service to explain this new program.

• Softened water becoming more consistent in Lake Darby

  Ohio American Water has reported that it finished installing new equipment Jan. 10, 2007 in the Lake Darby community to bring the softened water to more consistent levels. The Ohio EPA recommends water hardness levels between 120 and 150 milligrams per liter.

  With the new equipment, Ohio American Water will be able to better measure the water softening process, monitor the water treatment plant performance and mechanical operations and control the water softening process within the Ohio EPA water hardness range.

  In addition to the new equipment, monthly reports will be issued to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. After May 1, 2007, if Ohio American Water fails to meet the Ohio EPA recommended hardness levels at least 95 percent of the time each month, the company will be assessed $1,000 per violation which will be divided equally among customers in Lake Darby. The assessments will appear as a credit on customers’ bills over two billing periods.

• New meter installation finished in Marion District

  Ohio American Water finished the installation of encoder meters in its Marion district Jan. 1, 2007 as required by the agreement. The new meters allow Ohio American Water personnel to obtain actual meter readings of inside water meters, as required by law, without inconveniencing customers by accessing their homes.

• Monitoring plan developed for Huber Ridge

  A plan has been developed by Ohio American Water to determine the cause of water quality issues in the Huber Ridge community. Ohio American Water’s goal is to have the manganese and iron content in the water at the Huber Ridge water plant and distribution system at the lowest possible concentrations. The brown water in the Huber Ridge area is to be eliminated as well.

  To determine the cause of the poor water quality, Ohio American Water will test water samples at six points in the community including the water treatment plant and the water main attached to the water storage tank. The water treatment plant will be tested once per day and the remaining sites will be tested weekly and whenever a complaint is reported.

  A monthly progress report of the results of these tests, the number of complaints received, the status of improvements made and the next steps will be sent to the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Ohio EPA.

  Ohio American Water also will clean the Huber Ridge water distribution lines by flushing the system. The tentative dates for the flushing are March 20-22 and March 27-29 and during the weeks of June 25 and Oct. 15.

Additional Resources

• Fact sheet:
  Water softening: Ins and outs

• Fact sheet:
  Ohio American Water Proposed Rate Increases

• Press release:
  Water quality, service issues to be remedied by Ohio American Water

• Press release:
  Ohio American Water to fix problems with service