ASHVILLE, Ohio — The village’s public water system has resolved every violation identified during a January inspection, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency confirmed in a letter dated Oct. 13.
The Resolution of Violation letter, addressed to Village Administrator Bert Cline, states that Ohio EPA reviewed documentation submitted by Ashville Village Public Water System and determined that all deficiencies found during a Jan. 22 sanitary survey have been corrected, according to Mathias Wagner, an environmental specialist with the agency’s Division of Drinking and Ground Waters.
The sign-off closes out a Notice of Violation the agency issued Feb. 18, which cited six separate issues at the water system’s treatment and storage facilities.
Among them, inspectors found that the sodium hypochlorite tanks used to disinfect the water supply lacked secure covers on their lids, potentially letting in dirt, debris and insects. Village staff installed tight-fitting lids and documented the fix by Feb. 11, according to the letter.
Inspectors also found a small leak spraying water roughly 10 feet up the riser pipe of the village’s 100,000-gallon elevated storage tank, known as the Cromley tower. Crews welded and sealed the leak, with the repair confirmed Feb. 20.
The same inspection found that soil beneath the central support post of the village’s 300,000-gallon elevated tank had sunk following nearby construction work, a violation of state standards requiring the ground around such structures to be graded to prevent standing water. Village staff filled the depression with gravel and clean soil, also confirmed Feb. 20.
An overflow pipe on the water system’s bulk water softener brine tank was found without a screen, a deficiency addressed with a tight-fitting metal screen documented Jan. 30.
Inspectors additionally flagged that Well No. 4 had been offline since August 2024 for casing repairs, leaving the system reliant on a single well with no backup if it failed. The village notified Ohio EPA on June 5 that the repairs were complete and the well had returned to service, restoring two functioning wells for the community.
The final violation, involving an overflow pipe on the 100,000-gallon tank that emptied straight down near one of the tower’s support legs without erosion protection, wasn’t resolved until Oct. 8, when the village installed a concrete pad and trough to direct water away from the structure, according to the letter.
Ohio EPA noted that resolving the violations does not preclude the agency from pursuing administrative or civil penalties tied to the original Feb. 18 notice under Ohio Revised Code sections 6109.23 and 6109.33, and that any decision on penalties would depend on factors including the village’s future compliance.
The village announced the resolution in a Facebook post Tuesday, calling it a positive update and inviting residents to review the EPA’s letter.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Village of Ashville and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
