.

Heath Utilities Director John Geller

The city of Heath’s Water and Wastewater Department is currently undertaking several studies, including its Wastewater Treatment Master Plan.

Heath Utilities Director John Geller explains.

“The object of that is to comply with all applicable state and federal laws, to provide the big picture, to look forward to future perspectives, to provide long-range planning and to control the future of our wastewater plant.  It helps identify structures that we need replaced and any improvements that we might need at the wastewater plant. Also, it helps identify any upcoming regulations from the EPA so we can comply with those regulations.”

Geller says the department currently has 13 employees. 

“We just created a new lab position down at the wastewater plant and we are really excited about that. We have filled that position and he is doing a fantastic job. He is helping us meet our requirements on the limits of our discharges and so forth.”

Geller says those employees work hard, and some even go above and beyond. 

“Another big thing that Mayor Waugh has instituted is we used to only have three people who were certified in wastewater, and now we have seven. Mayor Waugh is adding incentives for people to get licensing, and we are really happy about that.”

Geller says another study they are working on in the department is the East Heath Sewer Study. 

“We are trying to get better flow from the eastside of Heath. It has been since the 1960s since improvements have been done to the eastside of Heath in the sewer on main feeder lines. We have contracted with the Jobes-Henderson Engineering Firm. They came up with a study and we just completed that, so we hoping to start construction this fall.”

Geller explains what is going to take place. 

“We are increasing pump sizes and we are going to redirect the direction of the sewer so that it relieves some of the pressure on some of the other sewers coming from the eastside. So, we are basically putting in new sewer system piping, and so forth, that is going to lead to the wastewater plant.”

Geller adds that the city is constructing a water tower in the west end. 

“We are wanting to establish higher flow rates on the west end of Heath. It is going to be a half million gallon, above ground water storage tank. The original study was to increase the pressure from the Port Authority to Mid-Ohio Industrial Park.”

Geller says the tower will be extremely beneficial. 

“It will help with the pressure along Thornwood Drive, which we have had some poor pressure in that area on water. It is also going to help out on fire protection and it should also help bring new industry into the area, we are hoping, because we are offering more water pressure in those areas.”