Ohio saved from contaminated water supply

Meander Creek Reservoir, Ohio

A new bridge design will stop hazardous fluids running into a nearby reservoir and contaminating the drinking water of residents in Mahoning County, Ohio.

The $91 million bridge and road project sees two newly built I-80 bridges spanning the Meander Creek Reservoir. Construction began in 2006 and was completed this month, but the bridges feature new innovative dirt and clay basins at either end of the bridges that block potentially toxic spills. This new containment system is a victory for the local fire chief who has long battled with the state agency to have the systems included in the bridge project.

Austinburg Fire Chief, Andrew Frost said he first met with Ohio Department of Transport (ODOT) officials in 1992 to discuss adding a spill containment system to any replacement for the deteriorating bridges. At that time, any liquid on the bridges drained directly into the reservoir through openings on the bridge decks.

"We had so many accidents and spills," said Frost, chief since 1985. "I once had a tanker of gasoline floating in that lake. We were really worried because there are a lot of nuclear waste shipments and God knows what else going over this."

The Department initially balked at the extra cost, but they now feel the additional $1.2 million scheme is model of how to eliminate contamination of fresh-water areas and wetlands from hazardous liquids that spill onto bridges during accidents.

As the new bridges 'crest' in the middle, any storm water or waste originally went into the reservoir. Now, storm water and other liquids flow to each end, then through pipes and ditches to the containment areas. Each basin is lined with a foot of clay covered by mounded dirt, creating a serpentine ditch. Liquids travel by gravity through the ditch, then through a pipe into the reservoir.

With the new system, if a hazardous spill occurs, the fire department has 30 minutes to get to the site and turn a valve to shut off the reservoir pipe and contain the liquid. "It's a straightforward solution," said Joe Alfano, ODOT's construction manager.

"We need to safeguard our water from accidents occurring on I-80," said Tom Holloway, chief engineer of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, which owns the reservoir. "Even salt and ash used on the road went into the water."

With a capacity of 11 billion gallons, the reservoir provides water to Youngstown, Austintown, Niles and several other cities in the state.

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