BELLAIRE — For the last five years, the village of Bellaire has been working on a project to get its second well up and running with a series of installations and upgrades to ensure the water is safe for consumption. That project is finally nearing completion.

Bellaire Village Council members and officials toured the community’s water treatment plant and received an update on the progress of the project Thursday morning.

In 2012, the village installed a new well, replacing its former second well, to help increase the volume of water entering the plant. Once that well was operational, it was discovered that the intake was drawing in contaminants, making the water unusable. Water Superintendent Gary Zavatsky said the water from the well was never distributed to residents due to the discovery. He said it is believed that the contaminants were from dry cleaning chemicals from a former company dating back more than 40 years.

In 2018, Councilman Mike Doyle, Councilman Jerry Fisher, Fiscal Officer Marla Krupnik and former water superintendent Sue Bell made a trip to Columbus to meet with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials in hopes of securing the funds to purchase an air stripper — a technology that removes volatile organic compounds from pumped groundwater — and other equipment for upgrades to the plant. Eventually, the OEPA approved the village’s request and it received $4.5 million in funds to complete the project — half grant and half low-interest loan. The upgrades included two air strippers, 60 water valves, service lines and 300 residential water meters.

Krupnik noted that Bell made a big impact with her knowledge of the plant and helped to secure the funds through the OEPA.

Village officials who toured the plant Thursday included Doyle, Krupnik and water committee members Fisher, Councilman Jerry Olack and Councilwoman Elizabeth Dugmore. CTI Engineer Bill Shields and members of S.E.T. Contracting and Construction, both hired by the village to complete the work, led officials on the tour, along with Zavatsky, answering their questions on the progress of the project.

The tour started out in the new facility, a blue building located adjacent to the treatment plant, which holds the two new air strippers. Shields explained that the project was nearly complete with the new well being operational now. Crews are awaiting some smaller items that were on back order that should be arriving next month.

Zavatsky called the project “substantially complete;” however, he said they are not authorized to use the new well until the Ohio EPA makes an onsite visit to test it. He said he is unsure at this time when that visit will take place or when the well will be in service.

Once the well is approved by the OEPA, Zavatsky said the village will return to producing 3 million gallons of clean water per day. The village currently produces an average of 800,000 gallons per day.

“We’ll have water that is clear of any contaminants that are in that well now,” he said.

Zavatsky noted that the newly installed equipment will not only prevent the contaminants in the well but those similar to the ones in the Ohio River from the East Palestine train accident. He said there are no current concerns regarding contaminants in the village’s water.

Zavatsky said the village has multiple sources including a well, the new well and an infiltration gallery — a pipe under the river.

Doyle said it felt good to see the progress of the project that has been in the works for many years and that he and others have been a part of from the beginning.

“It’s been a long process. Sue (Bell) who’s no longer with us, she was an integral part of it. … I’m happy it’s nearing completion. We’ve had the same challenges that everyone else has dealing with COVID — either materials, labor, etcetera. But it looks like it’s all coming together and finally going to be done and we’re pleased with the progress and hopefully the final project,” he said.