Bedford has won state approval for a $25.6 million overhaul of its wastewater treatment plant, a project city officials hope will finally get a grip on sewage overflows that have plagued the system for years. The upgrade targets the plant's headworks, the entry point where incoming sewage first gets screened and processed, and is designed to stop untreated wastewater from reaching Wood Creek.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency signed off on Bedford's planned headworks upgrade and its environmental review documents, according to Cleveland.com. That approval clears the way for financing through the state's Water Pollution Control Loan Fund, a program created under Ohio law to provide financial, technical, and administrative assistance for water quality improvements, per the Ohio Revised Code.
The problems the project aims to fix are mechanical and long-running. Bedford's headworks system currently captures less than 20% of the grit and rags entering the plant, the state agency found, according to the same report. That shortfall has driven equipment failures, pushed up maintenance costs, and eaten into storage capacity at the plant's equalization basin, which has lost nearly 1 million gallons of available storage because of accumulated debris.
Heavy Rain Remains the Plant's Biggest Test
Bedford's treatment plant can struggle whenever heavy rain hits the area, the report notes. Storms send extra groundwater and stormwater pouring into the sewer system, and that surge can overwhelm the plant, triggering both sewer overflows and treatment bypasses. A state-required analysis has laid out recommendations specifically addressing those overflow and bypass problems, the outlet reports.
The construction itself will happen at the existing treatment plant site rather than a new location. Crews will upgrade pumps and storage areas, repair aging equipment and structures, and build a new facility dedicated to handling incoming sewage. The project qualified for a limited environmental review in part because it is not intended to support new development, only to fix what is already there.
Ohio EPA officials said the project should reduce sewage overflows without causing significant environmental impacts, the report states. Construction is expected to begin this fall and continue for roughly two years, marking what the agency describes as the first phase of an approximately 20-year effort to rebuild Bedford's wastewater collection and treatment system.
What It Will Cost Bedford Residents
Bedford plans to borrow about $21.6 million through the state's low-interest loan program to fund the work, and the project is eligible for up to $4 million in loan forgiveness that would not need to be repaid. The Ohio EPA estimated the arrangement could save Bedford roughly $3.4 million over 20 years compared with borrowing at current market rates, according to the report.
Ohio's Water Pollution Control Loan Fund broadly provides financial and technical assistance for improvements to surface and groundwater quality, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Bedford has already raised sewer rates in recent years, and the city has projected additional increases through 2033 to help fund its planned wastewater infrastructure improvements. Under the current projection, the average residential sewer bill in Bedford would run about $41.48 per month based on 4,000 gallons of water use.
