(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is seeking an emergency court order to force the eastern Ohio village of Harrisville to address a wastewater treatment system failure that is allowing untreated sewage to discharge into a local waterway.
“When sewage is flowing into a creek and local officials refuse to act, the state will take them to court,” Yost said.
Waste is overflowing and spreading down a hillside adjacent to a baseball field. Since March 8, no one has been overseeing the treatment plant.
The complaint and emergency motion, filed today in Harrison County Common Pleas Court, seeks to force the village to take immediate corrective action, including securing a qualified operator for the facility.
According to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency inspectors, Harrisville has failed to maintain its wastewater treatment plant for nearly five months, resulting in untreated sewage bypassing the system and flowing into Sloan Run.
The Ohio EPA documented multiple alleged violations at the site, including:
- A manhole at the wastewater treatment plant actively overflowing and bypassing the plant.
- Additional untreated sewage outside the plant.
- Evidence of sewage fungus and algae growth in the creek.
- Sewage visible in the outfall pipe.
- Strong foul odors along the creek bed.
A village official reported to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office that village council has resigned and the mayor lives outside village limits, complicating efforts to authorize emergency wastewater repairs.
Harrisville, located in Harrison County, has about 259 residents and about 90 homes.
The case was referred to the Attorney General’s Environmental Enforcement Section by the Ohio EPA.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Dominic Binkley: 614-728-4127
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