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City takes issue over quarry drain

Commissioner will push for lawsuit if OEPA grants permit for Pipe Creek runoff; Cedar Point also opposed.

By BENJAMIN ROODE
benjaminroode@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Sandusky city commissioner Dannie Edmon said he will push the city to sue the Ohio EPA, Groton Township and Hanson Aggregates Midwest, Inc., owners of Parkertown Quarry, if the state environmental agency approves a permit application to open Pipe Creek to quarry drainage.

And another Erie County mainstay, Cedar Point, also opposes the permit.

Edmon said it could cost the city up to $5 million to treat the water from the city's emergency intake if Parkertown is allowed to drain into Pipe Creek. An Ohio EPA document has said the permit would not allow the drainage water to exceed existing water quality standards but could change the water quality in Pipe Creek.

The decision shouldn't be allowed to adversely affect Sandusky, especially since it is being made by an outside entity, he said.

"That's a problem for us," Edmon said. "If Sandusky decided to do something differently, should it cost people outside the city?"

City officials said Parkertown Quarry's drainage, if it travels down Pipe Creek to the bay, could affect water supplies Sandusky uses during winter months when Lake Erie freezes. The city released numbers in September showing that, based on current levels in the Parkertown runoff, the hardness and sulfate levels in the water would not dilute to clean levels before they approached the city's intake.

The quarry applied with the Ohio EPA to add Pipe Creek to the drainage permit they were renewing last year after local farmers complained the original drain site, Caswell Ditch, continually flooded after heavy rains.

Ron Tipton, vice president and general manager for Hanson, said because the Ohio EPA holds the power to approve or deny the application, they are the ones on whom Hanson is relying for guidance.

"When we've made applications for review, we've relied on OEPA input for whether or not something can be done," Tipton said. "We're within regulatory limits."

Cedar Fair L.P. officials joined Sandusky on Friday in opposing the permit application, saying possible changes in the water quality of the creek and Sandusky Bay could hurt the park.

"We get our water from Sandusky," said Rob Decker, vice president for planning and design with Cedar Fair, Cedar Point's parent company. "The waterpark, Castaway Bay, we're big users with all the people we have on our property.

"If the city has concerns, we definitely support them on that."

Cedar Fair officials would not comment about the possible lawsuit and could not say how much water they use from the city.

But the cost would increase significantly if water rates increase, Edmon said, an omen he almost guarantees if the quarry were allowed to drain.

Officials from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency have been reviewing Hanson's permit application since last year, when Hanson was required to renew their discharge permit. An oversight by the agency in May caused the company to re-apply for the permit and try to add Pipe Creek as a drainage area.

The Ohio EPA will decide on the quarry's permit after period of public comment, ending Aug. 23. Citizens and businesses can submit opinions to the EPA to be considered before this day, said EPA spokeswoman Dina Pierce.

The next public meeting regarding the quarry's drainage permit will be 7 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Groton Township hall, 9414 Portland Road, Castalia. It will be the last meeting before the EPA decides on Hanson's permit.

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