The present 40 MGD capacity is a far cry from the 2 MGD of over 75 years ago.
T
he original Avon Lake Water Filtration Plant (WFP) was built in 1926 to serve the City of Avon Lake with a maximum capacity of 2 million gallons per day (MGD). The City of Avon Lake contracted to sell water to the City of Avon in 1953. In 1956, the plant was revised and enlarged to a capacity of 4 MGD and in 1959 the city contracted with Sheffield Lake to supply their water. In 1960, a new raw water intake and pump stations were constructed in anticipation of the next expansion in 1968 to 6 MGD.
In 1975, Avon Lake Municipal Utilities contracted to sell water to the Rural Lorain County Water Authority. This agreement facilitated the 1980 expansion to a capacity of 10 MGD. Following this ten-year construction trend the water plan t expanded again in 1990 to 25 MGD, and in 2000 to 40 MGD. The 2004 expansion added two new dual cell filters that increased the plant’s filtering capacity to 60 MGD to satisfy the area’s future need for high quality drinking water. The current in-design expansion, which will increase the plant’s rated capacity from 40 MGD to 50 MGD, will continue to provide all the high quality water this growth area wants and needs.
The plant’s twenty-four filters have a total rated capacity of processing 60 million gallons of water a day.
Since the original plant was constructed, the existing service area has grown to include the residents of the City and sales of bulk water to a number of communities, mainly in Lorain and Medina Counties. Water demand in the 600 square mile service area is steadily increasing. The average daily production of finished water increased from 14.2 MGD in 1995 to 21.97 MGD in 2005, representing a 55% increase during the 10-year period! The current in-design expansion will increase the plant’s capacity rating from 40 to 50 million gallons a day enabling it to provide all the water this growth area needs.
The Avon Lake WFP supplies drinking water toAvon Lake, Avon, Village of Sheffield, Sheffield Lake, North Ridgeville, Medina and the County of Medina. The plant also supplies water to the Rural Lorain County Water Authority (RLCWA), which serves areas of rural Lorain County and the Villages of LaGrange, Sheffield, Grafton, Kipton and Spencer. Customers outside of the City of Avon Lake consume approximately 85% of the total water produced at the WFP.
Charles S. Heimlich
Water Treatment Plant Manager
Avon Lake Municipal Utilities: Appointed Manager of Water Treatment Plant 2009. Experience: Asst. Superintendent, Ottawa County Regional Water 2004-2009; Asst. Superintendent, Galion Water/Sewer Operations 1998-2004; Water Treatment Plant Chief Operator 1996-1998; Laboratory Technician 1988-1996; Plant Operator 1984-1988; Customer Serviceman, Galion Water Department 1981-1984; Laborer MEO 1, MEO 2, Galion Water/Sewer Operations 1976-1981. Licenses: Class IV Operator Water Supply & Class III Operator Wastewater Treatment Certifications. Associations & Designations: Member of American Water Works Association; currently serving as Trustee, Operator Training Committee of Ohio; Northwest District of AWWA. Education: Associate Degree in Business/Retail Management, North Central Technical College.
