BOARDMAN — County support and corporate collaboration are the solution to a local waterline problem, said one township official.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the ABC Stormwater District, Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree and Austintown Township Trustee Robert Santos quickly dispatched the day’s agenda, including a resolution approving a waterline fix along Boardman Boulevard. Canfield representative and board chair Kevin Rogers was not present.

Loree said about 800 to 1,000 feet of waterline along Boardman Boulevard was never actually connected to the main line under the street, and there are two dead ends where water flow stops. This has caused nearby residents problems with water quality and contaminated wells, and posed challenges for the fire department should they need to tap into a hydrant for service.

“The district was hoping to use county money to connect it. However, the cost for us to do it was higher than anticipated, so we reached out to Aqua Ohio and told them how much money we had for the project. They seemed more than willing to complete it with that funding,” Loree said.

The ABC Stormwater District cannot use stormwater fees for water projects, which delayed its ability to address this problem, among others in the township.

Loree said Mahoning County commissioners provided $200,000 for the project, but the estimates ABC received for the work exceeded the available funding. The job would cost between $400,000 and $500,000.

“Aqua seems to be able to complete most of that connection with the $200,000,” Loree said.

“By doing this, we’re going to help some of the neighbors that have contaminated wells.

There’s going to be tap-in fees and other things they’ll have to do on their own, but this brings the waterline and main line down the road and connects it. This will also help with fire protection so that we can get a good loop, and it helps with water quality because you don’t want stagnant areas in your water line where it’s not connected.”

Loree said he expects the project to begin in 2026, but did not say if it will be completed within the year. He said it is a great example of collaboration.

“You need to really be friendly and communicative to all of your neighbors to find out how we can collaborate and save ourselves money, and this project will save money and complete what we needed to do,” he said.

Loree and Santos also approved a financial assistance request from Canfield Township trustees, allocating $11,197 for the Westbury Park catch basin repair project, and a $4,485 agreement with Michigan-based Hyfi for flow monitoring within the Cranberry Run watershed.