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CANFIELD -- City Council spent a good deal of its Wednesday meeting talking about water issues, including an EPA violation at the plant in Weathersfield where the city gets its water treated.
"We are required to post a notice to residents of an Ohio EPA violation," Public Works Superintendent John Rapp said. "We will be including it with the next three water bills."
Rapp said the violation came at the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's water treatment plant in Weathersfield. He said for a 15-minute period, the chlorine injection equipment stopped placing chlorine in the water. Chlorine is used to kill bacteria in the water supply.
The short time of no chlorine being added was an Ohio EPA violation and thus had to be reported to water users. In Canfield, Rapp said the water is monitored and no fluctuation in the daily chlorine samples has been recorded.
"There is no need to boil water," he said.
Rapp said the city's water supply is checked regularly to ensure safe, quality drinking water for residents and businesses in the city, and that would continue. He said the city also does regular maintenance to ensure a safe supply. Next week, the main water tank on Fairgrounds Boulevard is going to be drained, inspected, cleaned and refilled in time for the Canfield Fair.
During public comment, the talk switched to waterlines as resident John Shartle asked council if there were any plans to replace the main waterline around the Fairground Boulevard-Holly Street area.
"It seems like water line breaks are happening in the same spot," he said. "Is there a plan to fix it?"
Rapp said his department does the best they can to address the leaks, but the pipes are old and often one break is fixed and another happens near that break. One recent break was repaired only to have another line break 50 feet down the line. Replacing aging lines can cost nearly $500,000.
"The Fairground Boulevard main waterline replacement is in the works," Rapp said.
Regarding water bills, the city has fewer than 100 meters to be replaced before it goes on a monthly billing program.
Finance Director Christine Clayton said she expects the monthly billing to begin near year's end or at the start of 2027.
"It will require a change to city ordinances to move from quarterly billing to monthly billing," she said.
From the water issue, council moved into a brief discussion on an ordinance to modify the Design Review Historic Preservation District. The ordinance would, in essence, remove Talsman Drive from the city's historic district and require a change to the city's zoning map. A public hearing on the proposed ordinance is set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 2.
On a different matter, City Manager David D'Apolito gave an update on the Glenview Road project.
"The gas company has successfully relocated its lines," D'Apolito said.
The culvert is expected to be completed and delivered in mid-September. Once the delivery is made, D'Apolito said it will take around two weeks to complete the work and open the road.
In other business, council:
• Approved an ordinance to enter a memorandum of understanding with the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association to permit donating sick leave to a fellow officer in need. Those donating sick time cannot get it back.
• Council also approved the creation of a new lead dispatcher position to oversee the dispatchers. Presently a police lieutenant oversees the call takers.