PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued a notice of violation to Wagon Wheel Mobile Home Park for multiple drinking water safety violations, including a severe health hazard from potential sewage contamination.
Ohio EPA inspectors conducted a sanitary survey on March 3 at the mobile home park’s public water system, which serves roughly 122 people, and found three violations of Ohio’s drinking water laws.
The most serious violation involves a yard hydrant located in the park’s wastewater treatment plant. According to the EPA inpection the hydrant is positioned directly alongside exposed sewage. According to the notice, a hose connected to the hydrant can create a cross-connection, presenting a severe health risk to the public water system.
The Ohio EPA requires the park to either remove the hydrant or install a reduced-pressure principle backflow preventer on the service line.
Inspectors also found the pressure gauge on the water system’s pressure tank was broken and not registering system pressure.
A third violation for lacking a written sample siting plan was resolved on March 18 when the park submitted the required documentation to the Ohio EPA.
In addition to the violations, Ohio EPA issued three recommendations to improve water system safety. Inspectors found no secondary containment for the sodium hypochlorite day tank used for chemical treatment. The day tank is also a repurposed CalciQuest chemical drum.
Inspectors also observed that the ground surrounding Well 1 appeared to have been sprayed with herbicide. The Ohio EPA strongly recommended stopping pesticide use within the 150-foot isolation radius of the well because pesticides and herbicides can cause severe health hazards if they enter the drinking water supply.
Ohio EPA records show Wagon Wheel Mobile Home Park has received multiple notices of violation dating back to at least 2008, with violations documented in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2016.
The park has 30 days from the March 31 notice to respond in writing indicating how and when it will correct the violations.