Fairport Harbor sets public meetings on proposal to buy water from Painesville

Jul. 21—Fairport Harbor Village government will conduct two public meetings to help provide residents with a better understanding of a proposal to buy bulk water from the city of Painesville.

Half-hour meetings are scheduled at 6 p.m. Aug. 16 and Sept. 20 at the Fairport Harbor Senior Center, located at 1380 East St. Both sessions will take prior to regular meetings of the Village Council, which begin at 6:30.

Council, during its July 19 meeting, heard the first reading of a resolution that would authorize the village to enter into an agreement with the city of Painesville for the supply and purchase of drinkable water.

That proposal would require Fairport Harbor to make improvements to an existing interconnection with Painesville's water system; build a new, larger elevated storage tank for water; and construct a secondary emergency connection to Painesville's water supply.

The plan also calls for Fairport Harbor to retain ownership of its water distribution system and continue administrative management of billing for water service.

Council intends to hear three readings of the resolution so residents have ample time to ask questions about a plan that would bring major changes in how water is provided to Fairport Harbor. So unless the resolution is tabled for some reason, council likely would take a final vote on the legislation at its Sept. 20 meeting.

If the resolution is approved and Painesville becomes the village's water supplier, Fairport Harbor would shut down and possibly demolish its 96-year-old water treatment plant at 5 High St. The village also would abandon an existing raw-water intake valve in Lake Erie that is expected to require costly upgrades at some point in the future.

Under terms of the 20-year agreement, Fairport Harbor initially would purchase bulk water from Painesville for $3.57 per 100 cubic feet. The city of Painesville has an ample surplus capacity of water to meet the average daily demand for water in Fairport Harbor, said CT Consultants Vice President Richard Iafelice.

In addition, Iafelice said Painesville's treatment process for water is very similar to the method used at Fairport Harbor's water plant. Both communities also draw their bulk water from the same source — Lake Erie.

CT Consultants, an engineering firm which is based in Mentor, has assisted Fairport Harbor in developing a future plan to continue providing drinkable water to the community. Essentially, Fairport Harbor was looking at two options: either to sell its entire water system; or retain ownership of the water distribution system, but purchase bulk water from an outside supplier, said Iafelice, who spoke during the July 19 Village Council meeting.

In the summer of 2021, Fairport Harbor requested qualifications from entities that wanted to become involved in either outcome. Three bids were received.

"After months of reviewing bids and considering proposals for the preferred option to purchase bulk water from either Aqua Ohio, Lake County or the city of Painesville, an agreement between Fairport Harbor and the city of Painesville has been achieved in principle," Iafelice said.

However, he emphasized the Fairport Harbor Village Council and Painesville City Council each will need to approve similar legislation before government leaders of each community can sign a final agreement.

If both councils give their blessings to the proposal, it's anticipated that Fairport Harbor's new method of securing bulk water could start sometime in 2023.

Iafelice also explained specific steps that Fairport Harbor must take to ensure the safe delivery of bulk water to the village from Painesville:

—Water vault improvements.

Iafelice said Fairport Harbor's primary connection to the Painesville water system is an an existing valve vault located on the south side of Richmond Street.

"The vault needs upgrading to include two pressure-regulating valves and a master meter for billing purposes," he said. "Then, Fairport Harbor would become a master-meter water customer to the city of Painesville."

—Construct a new, elevated water storage tank with a 250,000-gallon capacity, which would replace a similar, but smaller existing structure in the village.

Iafelice explained that the current water storage tower doesn't have adequate capacity for firefighting when Fairport Harbor has a peak day for overall water demand.

"A firefighting situation that takes 1,000 gallons a minute will deplete that tank when you have maximum daily flow at the same time," he said.

—A secondary connection to the Painesville water system.

Iafelice noted that once the Fairport Harbor water plant is decommissioned, the village's only connection to Painesville's water system would be through the vault on Richmond Street.

"A secondary connection is advised," he said. "It's a guideline — not a mandate — from EPA for best practices."

CT Consultants has recommended that a secondary connection to Painesville be constructed on Saint Clair Street.

"In negotiating the crossing of the Grand River at that location, we'll be interfacing with the Lake County Engineer's Office to attach (the waterline) to the bridge, rather than going under the river," Iafelice said.

Fairport Harbor Mayor Timothy Manross said the overall cost of the project is expected to total a bit more than $4 million.

"Between the loans that are out there, the grants that are out there and our customer base, this is fully payable and doable," he said. "The timing is right, there's no gun against our head. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency certainly is supportive of getting rid of single-water purveyors. They want regionalization."