Loveland has secured $15.5 million of the estimated $17 million needed to build a new water treatment plant that will filter PFAS chemicals from the city's drinking water.
The updated total combines $14 million in Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding, announced in August, with $1.5 million received so far from a class-action settlement, Assistant City Manager Chris Wojnicz said on a Loveland Beacon podcast published Sept. 9. Wojnicz had estimated in June that the city could receive around $2 million in settlement funds over 10 years.
That leaves a $1.5 million gap. The city said in an Aug. 14 press release it is pursuing additional state and federal funding to cover the remaining costs and minimize the impact on ratepayers.
The Ohio EPA award breaks down into $4 million in principal loan forgiveness and a $10 million interest-free loan through the Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSRLA) program. The settlement funds come from a class-action lawsuit. The city has not publicly identified the defendant, though a Loveland Daily News report from June linked the settlement to DuPont and other companies.
Loveland's drinking water comes from a groundwater aquifer that serves residents in the city and parts of Symmes Township and Miami Township. PFOS, one of six PFAS compounds regulated under new federal rules, has been detected in the city's source water above the new maximum contaminant level of 4 parts per trillion, according to the city's press release.
The city says its water currently meets all applicable state and federal drinking water standards. But one of Loveland's three wells, Well 6, showed much higher PFAS levels than the others and has been reduced to maintenance-level use only, Loveland Daily News reported. Well 6 is expected to return to normal use once the new treatment system is in place.
What gets built, and when
Engineering firm AECOM is designing the plant, which will use granular activated carbon (GAC) contactors to strip PFAS from the water. The design is expected to be finished by April 2027. Construction is estimated to take 23 months after that.
The plant will be built at Bodley Park, near the existing well facility. Parts of the site sit in a floodplain and will require engineered fill. Annual operation and maintenance costs are estimated at $327,000.
Wojnicz said on the podcast that 2031 is now the expected federal enforcement date for PFAS drinking water standards, replacing an earlier 2029 target.
Resident to respond on podcast
Sharon Scovanner, a Loveland resident who has tracked the PFAS issue since 2023, is scheduled to appear on the Loveland Beacon podcast Sept. 10 to respond to the city's statements.
In a June Loveland Daily News article, Scovanner said she worried about residents who may not be protecting themselves. "Before I started really clamoring for people to know the truth, they were saying the water was safe … That was disturbing," she said at the time.
Mayor Kathy Bailey said in the city's Aug. 14 press release that the Ohio EPA funding "is a significant investment in the future of Loveland's drinking water system."
How the city plans to close the remaining $1.5 million funding gap, and whether ratepayers will shoulder any of the cost, has not been detailed publicly.
