Recent electricity and sewage concerns have forced Wycliffe to focus on allocating resources for preventive maintenance.
There are 150 to 300 watersheds or sewers in the city. However, Mayor John Barbish said that as development has continued in recent years, there are more impenetrable surfaces and fewer areas with natural uptake of rainwater due to increased rainfall.
Impervious surfaces include highways, streets, sidewalks, driveways, and rooftops. These surfaces can affect local rivers both in terms of water quality and river flow and flood characteristics. Geological survey of the United States.
“We will be repairing as many basin or sewer openings as possible,” said Barbish. “If there is a crack in the part of the sewer where all the water flows, the surrounding soil is eroded, creating open voids and potential sinkholes that do more damage. , The repair interval becomes longer. “
The sinkhole may be waiting not only in Wickliffe but other parts of Lake County as well, Barbish said.
“It’s not exciting. Nobody wants to talk about sewers, ”he said. “They want parks and pools, but they can’t have sinkholes. That is a concern. Often times, sewers and water pipes are not paved until the roads are re-paved and the camera is ready to inspect the sewers. I don’t know how bad some of them are. “
The council recently approved the paving of parts of Robert Street. During the inspection process, the sewers were found to be rough, adding about $ 80,000 to the project, Barbish said.
“Increased rainfall in recent years will significantly increase wastewater charges as everything goes to the Euclidean sewage treatment plant for treatment,” says Barbish. “Not so long ago, our sewage charges went up more than $ 100,000.”
Additionally, as the population density increases, electricity becomes less reliable and requires more preventive maintenance of Wicliffe’s grid, utility poles, transformers and substations, Barbish said.
After the recent storm, around 500 households had little or no electricity.
“Forks have low power consumption, and you won’t see any fallen cables or utility poles in about 500 homes without power,” Barbish said. “This is not an isolated case. FirstEnergy has to take more responsibility for preventive maintenance. “
FirstEnergy did not immediately respond to the request for comment.
It may not be economically feasible for everyone, but getting solar panels and small generators should be addressed over time, the mayor said.
“I have something to discover,” said Barbish. “I recently learned that there is special preventive maintenance (performed by FirstEnergy) that is only performed every five years. This is set up and administered by the Ohio Public Works Commission. I do this. We are researching and looking for ways to shorten this period every four or three years. “
If there is an ongoing problem in a home or business, Barbish recommends citizens email them at [email protected]. In addition to reporting failures on the FirstEnergy website or app.
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