CHAUNCEY, Ohio — For decades, the Village of Chauncey’s sewer system has needed constant repairs. By this summer, that should be a thing of the past.
Engineering of a new sewer system began in 2023, Mayor Tamara Hawk and Parks & Recreation Chair Connaught Cullen told the Independent in an email.
The new system is entirely funded by grants and loan forgiveness from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Ohio Public Works Commission, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Department of Development and the state budget.
The village split the project into two phases in order to maximize funding, which will make the system more affordable for village residents, according to Hawk and Cullen.
Phase one, which focused on the central area of Chauncey, began in 2024 and was completed in January. Phase two, currently underway, focuses on the west and east regions of Chauncey. Phase two’s estimated completion is by July.
Cullen said the age of the village’s “existing system is not exactly known, but it is believed to date back to the 1940s.”
Hawk said, “It [was] just time to get something newer in place.”
This current system consists of clay pipes that get holes or break easily, allowing groundwater to flow into the system. That bombards the village’s wastewater treatment plant with more water than it can properly hold. The frequent pipe breaks cause frequent backups into residents’ basements, water blockages and sewer overflows, the village officials said.
Hawk said that once one clay pipe begins to break, the rest will go down with it eventually. She added that with these clay pipes, there is a risk of collapsing multiple pipes down the line when repairing just one.
The village plans to continue improvements throughout Chauncey infrastructure around the time that the sewer project is completed.
The village intends to apply to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Supply Revolving Loan Account program to help eliminate and replace the remaining transit water lines that are in the village, as well as any galvanized steel that could still be used within distribution lines throughout the village.
The village will also work on updating the wastewater treatment plant “sometime in the future,” according to Cullen and Hawk.
Currently, the village is designing a “Main Street Revitalization Project,” which will be accomplished by funds awarded through the Appalachian Community Grant Program. This will repair and upgrade sidewalks and lighting along Converse Street.
Hawk said this project in particular will focus on “beautifying” the downtown area. She added that this project will impact travel throughout the town for a while in the summer, but that it hopefully will not block an entire road.
“[The Main Street Revitalization Project] should be [blocking only] side streets, sidewalks and sides of streets, rather than blocking roads,” Hawk said.
Chauncey Village Council meets the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Chauncey Village Hall, 42 Converse St., Chauncey.
Let us know what's happening in your neck of the woods!
Get in touch and share a story!
