Village of Luckey public water dispute continues
Village of Luckey leaders want eminent domain of a quarry to use for public water. Some don’t like the idea and want to keep their well water.
LUCKEY, Ohio — The Village of Luckey is working to get eminent domain of a privately owned quarry located in the village. Some have said they wish the village was more transparent about project, while others said they have concerns about the quality of the water.
Brush Wellman is an old beryllium plant located next to the quarry, which is currently being cleaned up by the United States Army Corp of Engineers. Residents are concerned the old site will contaminate the quarry water.
Karina Hahn-Claydon lives right outside of the Village of Luckey. This project won’t affect where she gets her water, but she’s still concerned.
“Anytime that you drain a public source such as a quarry, it can pull water from other sources,” Hahn-Clayton claimed.
She said she thinks the quarry will dry up her well, and down the line she would have to tap into the village’s water.
Mayor Cory Panning declined to do an interview with WTOL 11, but in a letter addressed to the village, he said the water in the quarry has been tested and is considered clean and not contaminated.
“You possibly could have contaminated water down the road,” said Clayton. “We just don’t know about Brush Wellman. The cleanup is not over.”
In the letter, Panning said the reason for this is to make water more accessible to people and businesses in the village.
This situation has landed the quarry owners in two lawsuits with the Village. Lawyer Zach Murray is representing the owners. They want to stop the village from taking ownership of the property. Prior to this, the owners were trying to auction the land off.
“My clients have built this property, it’s a great piece of property, but it’s just not a great piece of property for a public water source,” Murray said. “Our allegations are that they scuttled the auction and prevented the sale.”
Northwestern Water and Sewer District makes water available to several industrial sites near Luckey.
In an email, Northwestern told WTOL 11 that it owns a nearby waterline with water treated by The City of Toledo.
Residents have also said they want to know why the village plans to build a new water system for $4.6 million, when they could tap into Northwestern, or just keep their current water system.
Northwestern also said several years ago they met with the village about providing water, but at the time, they expressed no interest.
MORE LOCAL HEADLINES FROM WTOL 11
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/luckey-ohio-water-eminent-domain-quarry-public-local-news-headlines/512-dba9132a-09c3-4763-a95b-0658aa366dc8 Village of Luckey public water dispute continues
