WEST PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued a Notice of Violation to Scioto County for operating a wastewater treatment plant that has not had sludge removed in two years and is discharging contaminated water into Pond Creek, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.
The March 27 notice cited the Scaff-Starrett wastewater treatment plant, located west of State Route 104 in West Portsmouth, for violating Ohio Revised Code 6111.07(A) and the facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit by failing to properly operate and maintain the facility.
During a Feb. 11 inspection, Ohio EPA staff observed sludge floating in the aeration basin, algae buildup on the clarifier weir with light solids in the effluent, and all sand filter beds overgrown with weeds and small trees with water pooled in them, according to the notice.
The most significant finding: no sludge has been removed from the facility in 2024 or 2025, according to the EPA.
57 violations in 18 months
Between May 2024 and October 2025, the facility reported 57 effluent concentration limit violations: 12 for E. coli, 42 for ammonia, and three for total suspended solids, according to the EPA inspection report.
E. coli levels were “too numerous to count” in May, June, July, and August 2025, according to the report.
In June 2025, E. coli levels reached 1,200 colonies per 100 milliliters — more than nine times the permit limit of 126, according to EPA data. The same month, ammonia levels hit 10 milligrams per liter, five times the permit limit of 2.0.
The facility has an average daily design flow of 0.080 million gallons per day and discharges to Pond Creek through a single outfall, according to the permit.
Sludge removal history
A review of discharge monitoring reports shows the facility’s sludge removal declined over five years before stopping entirely:
- 2021: 6,000 gallons removed
- 2022: 11,000 gallons removed
- 2023: No sludge removed
- 2024: No sludge removed
- 2025: No sludge removed
County plans to close plant — eventually
During the inspection, the Wastewater Treatment Coordinator told Ohio EPA staff that Scioto County plans to eliminate the Scaff-Starrett plant and redirect its flow to the West Portsmouth wastewater treatment plant once upgrades are completed at that facility, according to the report.
Ohio EPA has known about this proposal since at least 2019, according to the report. Preliminary plans for the upgrades have been drafted, but the county is still working to obtain a Permit-to-Install and project funding, according to the report.
In the meantime, the facility continues to operate in violation of state law and its discharge permit.
Plant access limited
At the time of the Feb. 11 inspection, the driveway to the plant had not been plowed and could only be accessed via a four-wheel drive vehicle, according to the report. Areas around the plant had limited access due to snow cover, according to the report.
Required corrective action
The EPA has ordered Scioto County to remove sludge, clean the clarifier weirs, and remove bulking sludge on the clarifier surface, and remove sand filter vegetation. The county must submit photographs documenting that the work has been completed within 30 days, according to the notice.
The notice warns that failure to comply with Chapter 6111 of the Ohio Revised Code “may result in an administrative or civil penalty.”