ENON – The Enon Water Department has recently completed a number of improvements to the public drinking water system that will further ensure a reliable water source for local residents and businesses.
“We have been really busy, but a lot of needed things are being accomplished in addition to the treatment plant softener project,” Enon Water Department Superintendent Steve Durall said during a recent interview.
According to Durall, the upgrades and construction project at the Enon Water Treatment Plant were completed on June 16, six days before the scheduled completion date of June 22.
“The entire project completion date is scheduled for July 22. This will allow additional time to cover minor details, adjustments, and administrative concerns,” said Durall. “The interior of the water treatment plant is currently being painted as well.”
The project consisted of a general contractor raising the roof in the older section of the water treatment plant, located on the south side of the facility, to match the height of the roofline of the larger section on the north side of the facility. The raised roof height allowed workers to replace the small, older water softener systems with two 72-inch-diameter water softener tanks.
Durall said the two larger tanks increase the plant’s softening capacity by about 25 percent and along with the three large softener tanks housed in the north side of the plant, will allow the village to meet additional water-supply demands that could possibly arise in the future. The upgrades also involved replacing the old piping system and connecting a necessary electrical power source.
In 2014, the village was awarded a $74,999 grant and a $75,000 low-interest loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission that partially funded the project. The village contributed about $144,500 towards the improvements.
Several maintenance projects were also completed at the water treatment plant during the spring. Village employees repaired a break in the softener backwash discharge line and made several repairs and adjustments to the emergency generator that restored the weekly automatic exercise procedures.
In April, tension rods at the Main Street Water Tower were tightened to insure stability of the structure.
Durall said water department employees have been quite busy completing several projects to all four production wells that will help assure that the village’s drinking water resource meet the needs of the customers. The wells, which are located in the Enon Well Field behind the water treatment plant on Enon Road, produce an average of 650,000 gallons each day.
“All four production wells were performance tested and evaluated for potential periodic maintenance,” Durall said.
The pump in Well #3 was removed and repaired, and the well screen was cleaned before placing the well back in service in May. The pump in Well #4 was also removed for needed repairs and is presently being cleaned. Durall anticipates that the well will be placed back in service sometime this week.
Well House #1 reconstruction is scheduled to begin in July. At that time, Well #1 will be taken offline until the project is completed. Last year, the well and the building that houses it began to sink several feet. A similar problem occurred with Well House #3 in 2010.
The Village of Enon will host an open house at the Enon Water Treatment Plant in August which will include a rededication and renaming of the facility in honor of former Enon Mayor Charles E. Koons.
Koons, who passed away in 2003, served the longest tenure as mayor of Enon, from 1957 to 1965 and again, from 1967 to 1988. One of Koons’ major accomplishments as mayor was the implementation of a public water system for the village.
During a previous session of Enon Village Council, Mayor Tim Howard said Koons played an instrumental role in establishing a public water system that has supplied a safe and reliable water supply to the community for many years.
