Wastewater leak on PPG land in Barberton is repaired with minimal risks, Ohio EPA says
The Ohio EPA said Wednesday about 200,000 gallons of pretreated wastewater leaked from a sanitary sewer line break near PPG Industries in Barberton before repairs were made this week.
Hudson Run Road was closed Monday afternoon after the state agency was notified of the break. The road reopened Tuesday night.
An Ohio EPA spokesman said two areas of damaged concrete in the line caused the seepage of wastewater.
"The facility has an on-site pretreatment system designed to neutralize the water before going to the Barberton Wastewater Treatment Plant," the Ohio EPA said in an email. "This break happened after the pretreatment system and before leaving PPG property. There are no observed impacts to aquatic life in the creek, nor are there any dangers to water quality standards."
Questions about wastewater leak
The leak was the subject of conversation at both Barberton and Norton City Council meetings Monday night and a topic of speculation on social media.
Barberton Mayor William Judge told council members Monday that the wastewater did not contaminate the city's drinking water.
"It was not a chemical spill," the mayor said. "It was a wastewater leak that had been leaching out."
PPG's response on the leak
A spokesman for PPG said before the EPA statement that the company was working with the city and Ohio EPA to identify the cause of the leak.
"There were no injuries, however, PPG and local authorities have closed a nearby road to complete an evaluation of the leak and clean up," Mark Silvey, director of corporate communications, said in the Tuesday via email. "We do not have additional information to share at this time."
The mayor told council Monday night the road was closed to allow workers to make repairs without having to worry about cross traffic.
"We had an accident there not too long ago with a city employee [and] instead of just messing around, [they closed] the whole thing," Judge said.
Councilman examines site of leak
Ward 6 Councilman Monte Harris said Wednesday he inquired about the incident at Monday's meeting after a resident reached out about the road closing.
Harris said he hadn't received information from the Ohio EPA or PPG about the leak and repairs.
The councilman said he drove to the site Wednesday.
"There had been some work there, and — whatever it was — it looks like it was repaired," he said.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio EPA says impact minimal from wastewater leak at PPG in Barberton
