BATAVIA, OH – Clermont County-area volunteers are needed to help with the region’s portion of the 3,000-mile Ohio River Sweep litter cleanup 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, July 17.
Local volunteers, please report to:
The event was rescheduled due to severe weather threats. Wear clothes that can get dirty and closed-toe shoes. Organizers will provide trash bags and a limited number of gloves. Each volunteer will receive a free T-shirt.
The Ohio River Sweep extends the entire length of the Ohio River and many of its tributaries. This important regional event addresses a global problem: litter in our waterways. It connects people to the Ohio River and encourages stewardship of this important resource.
“Rivers and streams provide 65 percent of our nation’s drinking water and 88 percent of Cincinnati’s drinking water,” said Penny Greenler, Clermont Country River Sweep coordinator. “By participating in the River Sweep cleanup effort with others in your community, you can help make your Ohio River a safer, healthier place for wildlife and people.”
Thousands of volunteers from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Cairo, Ill., will clean up the 3,000 miles of Ohio River shoreline. The cleanup involves more than 100 locations in six states. It’s coordinated by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) and state environmental agencies. Visit oeq.net or contact Penny at OhioRiverSweep@gmail.com to register or for more information.
BATAVIA, OH – The Board of County Commissioners today voted to end a State of Emergency that had been declared on March 18, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The action was taken in concert with State of Ohio, which ended its State of Emergency on June 18.
The emergency declaration, along with a previous resolution delegating disaster functions in event of an absence of a quorum of the board, spelled out succession of leadership and the authority of the county administrator in an emergency. It also exempted from the competitive bidding process purchases related to the emergency that were greater than $50,000 but less than $100,000, so long as no fewer than three informal estimates were obtained. The declaration also allowed the county to obtain state and federal funds.
Pam Haverkos, director of the Clermont County Emergency Management Agency, thanked the commissioners for their support throughout the pandemic.
“Clermont County has definitely proved that we are a really resilient community – and that’s a result of the relationships we have built, the collaborations amongst our public safety partners, public health department, healthcare providers, local government agencies, social service agencies, schools, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations and residents,” Haverkos said.
“Response and recovery to a pandemic truly requires the ingenuity of the whole community,” she added.
Haverkos thanked Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit and Clermont County Public Health for their tireless work, often done behind the scenes.
“They are the backbone of our response and recovery operations,” Haverkos said.
Clermont County held its first preparedness meeting on Jan. 31, 2020. The county officially opened its emergency operations center on March 16, 2020. Initially, the emergency operations team met daily and it gradually transitioned into weekly COVID Defense Team meetings.
In January, an emergency hotline number (732-8500) was activated to facilitate access to vaccines. The number has received almost 17,000 calls. It remains in service.
Public Health has administered 36,632 vaccinations. Combined with vaccinations from other providers, about 45 percent of the county’s residents have received at least one dose and 41 have completed their vaccines.
Vaccinations continue for those ages 12 and older.
“We can’t thank your staff enough and the whole health department for coordination from the very beginning all of the way through – daily updates and keeping everyone posted, most of all taking care of the citizens of Clermont County,” said Claire Corcoran, President, Board of County Commissioners. “What a tremendous, tremendous job all of you did.”
“Every communication meeting there for a while seemed like there was always new information, a new change of direction,” Commissioner David Painter said. “It really was a changing environment where you had to adapt. We realize how stressful that was.”
Commissioner Bonnie Batchler added: “You and your staff are always there in every emergency in Clermont County. From my heart, I thank you for what you have always done.”
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BATAVIA, OH — The Clermont County Water Resources Department’s 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (2021-2025) calls for many improvements to water mains, water tanks and sewers.
The waterworks plan calls for 60 waterworks capital improvements valued at $32.9 million, including 26 water main replacement projects ($16.8 million), eight elevated water tank inspection, rehab and painting projects ($4.3 million), 10 water treatment plant and well field improvement projects ($3 million), seven new infrastructure/expansion projects ($3.7 million) and three petition/assessment projects ($1.2 million).
The wastewater plan calls for 56 wastewater capital improvements estimated at $63.9 million, including 15 sewer replacement/rehabilitation projects ($22.6 million), nine lift station replacement, upgrade or elimination projects ($10.4 million), 10 wastewater treatment plant improvement or elimination projects ($13.0 million), four new infrastructure/expansion projects ($3.3 million), and eight petition/assessment projects ($12.9 million).
Waterworks capital improvement funding includes:
Available funding (2021-2025) $45,686,096
Wastewater capital improvement funding includes:
Available funding (2021-2025) $62,369,811
Water main replacement projects include:
Elevated water tank inspection, rehab and painting projects include:
Sewer replacement/rehabilitation projects include:
Lift station replacement, upgrade or elimination projects include:
Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements or Elimination projects include:
A second interceptor well is being constructed at the Beckjord Power Station site in New Richmond. The well will serve as a backup in case the original interceptor well fails. Operation of the well, which helps protect county-owned drinking water wells from contamination, is expected soon.
In the early to mid-1990’s, Cincinnati Gas & Electric (aka Duke Energy) performed an investigation of the groundwater near the Beckjord Power Station. As a result of the investigation, an elevated-sulfate groundwater plume was identified. This plume originates from the power station’s ash ponds and extends towards the County-owned drinking water well fields that provide the raw water for the County’s P.U.B. Water Treatment Plant. In order to help protect the County’s drinking water wells, Duke Energy installed an interceptor well to capture the sulfate plume. The interceptor well initiated pumping on Feb. 4, 1994 and continuously removes groundwater with elevated sulfate concentrations and discharges it to the Ohio River under an NPDES Permit issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA).
Since the installation of the interceptor well in 1994, quarterly groundwater monitoring reports have been submitted to OEPA, with copies sent to Clermont County. These reports present and summarize analytical results from about 30 monitoring wells and piezometers located across the Beckjord property. Within the reports, sulfate concentrations are used to monitor the movement and location of the contaminated groundwater plume.
In 2014, Duke Energy shut down the Beckjord Power Station. Then, in early 2018, ownership of the Beckjord Power Station property was transferred from Duke Energy to New Richmond Development Corporation (NRDC). Since then, NRDC has been working to decommission the former power station in accordance with Ohio EPA requirements. NRDC continues to operate and maintain the interceptor well and submit quarterly groundwater monitoring reports to Ohio EPA and Clermont County.
Ohio EPA is the regulatory authority for all decommissioning work and environmental protection efforts at the former Beckjord Power Station site. In an effort to help protect the citizens of Clermont County and our water resources, Clermont County regularly reviews groundwater monitoring reports and other information prepared by NRDC. Following these reviews, Clermont County often provides comments, concerns and recommendations to Ohio EPA. In 2019, Clermont County provided recommendations to Ohio EPA which included the installation of a second interceptor well to provide redundancy in the event the original interceptor well experiences failure. Ultimately, Ohio EPA supported this recommendation, and on October 20, 2020, approved the Permit to Install for the second interceptor well. NRDC has initiated construction of the second interceptor well and has indicated it will be operational in the very near future.
BATAVIA, OH — Efforts to keep Clermont County beautiful got a boost recently when the Office of Environmental Quality received a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The $37,000 Recycle Ohio Community and Litter grant will support the Ohio River Sweep, Spring Litter Clean-up and Tire Collection Days. The grant includes a 20 percent match from the county.
In the Ohio River Sweep, local volunteers join 100 locations in six states each summer to remove litter from the waterway.
In the Spring Litter Clean-up, people volunteer their time to pick up trash throughout Clermont County and the East Fork Watershed.
In Tire Collection Days, Clermont County residents can drop off up to 10 tires at a pre-determined location. The Collection Days will be scheduled for a weekend in October, visit oeq.net to sign up for notifications. In the meantime, residents can take their tires to tire retailers and pay a small fee to recycle them
“These funds will help us supply volunteers with tools they need to keep Clermont County beautiful,” said Hannah Lubbers, director of the Clermont County Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ) and the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District. “They will also cover costs of items such as water bottles and other supplies for those who so graciously devote time to these important events.”
BATAVIA, OH — The Clermont County Common Pleas Court is looking for a member of the community to fill a vacancy on the Clermont County Library Board of Trustees; the term of the appointment runs from July 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2022, with a possibility of renewal for a full term of seven years.
Trustees must be registered voters in Clermont County, will serve without compensation, and must be able to attend meetings that are typically scheduled for 6 p.m. the third Monday of each month at the Miami Township Library, but may be held at other Clermont County library branches. Members of the community interested in the position should submit a brief resume and a letter stating their interest in becoming a library trustee. Send the resume and letter to Clermont County Common Pleas Court, c/o Court Administrator, 270 East Main Street, Batavia, Ohio 45103. Applications for the position are due by Wednesday, June 16, 2021.
With 10 branches throughout the county, the Clermont County Public Library is governed by a seven-member board of trustees appointed by the Board of Clermont County Commissioners and Judges of the Common Pleas Court. The board, in turn, hires the library director and fiscal officer who implements policies and monitors operations.
