Cleveland, OH
Avon
By Rebecca Turman
Avon City Council members voted Monday night to place a 90-day moratorium on new residential development within the French Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant sanitary sewer district.
Action came as the result of sewer backups in Avon homes after a Feb. 28 rainstorm dumped several inches of rain on top of a 7-inch snowpack.
Many homeowners in the Northgate and Stonebridge subdivisions reported their basements flooded with sewage discharge, according to city officials.
Avon City Engineer Rob Knopf stated last week the areas hit the hardest by the sewage discharge after the rainstorm were “almost entirely located on the streets connecting right into the interceptor.”
Knopf also said in a previous interview that the Feb. 28 storm was “probably in the top 5 of the rainstorms we’ve had at least since 2000.”
During the 90-day moratorium, city officials will attempt to conduct a study and make recommendations the city should make moving forward in terms of the sanitary sewer infrastructure.
As part of the ordinance, residential developments that have already gone through Planning Commission, including those that will go before the commission March 16, will not be affected by the moratorium.
During the regular meeting, council also approved an ordinance “adopting a revision to the standard construction drawings for the city of Avon dated May 10, 2005, requiring ½ horsepower sump pumps for all new construction.”
“The entire standard needs to be looked at in more detail,” Law Director John Gasior said, who noted that making the ½ horsepower sump pump mandatory in new construction was one of few steps that would need to be taken to protect Avon residents from sewer backups.
“This is a good start, but it’s not a grand finale by any stretch of the imagination,” Avon Mayor Jim Smith said. “We have a unique situation in the community.”
Knopf said he was currently working with the Utilities and Building departments to update the city’s standards.
During “Reports and Comments” of the Monday meeting, the mayor and council members continued to discuss the sewage backups that occurred in the city.
Councilman Bryan Jensen stated most of the sewage backups would not have happened had backflow valves been in place in the homes.
Councilman Dennis McBride added that the French Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant interceptor was “unable to accept waste from our city,” during the Feb. 28 storm.
“Let’s not blame it all on the builders,” he said.
Council President Craig Witherspoon asked Knopf to come up with a timetable for addressing the backflow problem residents are dealing with.
“The public would like to know exactly what we are doing,” Witherspoon said.
Knopf hopes to have a plan of action ready before the moratorium ends, he told council.
Knopf noted that he met with North Ridgeville officials already to discuss the sewer issue and he planned to meet with them again this week.
North Ridgeville Mayor Dave Gillock could not be reached for comment prior to The Press deadline.
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