An ordinance that passed council Tuesday night could save the city tens of thousands of dollars in electricity costs annually.
Oxford City Council unanimously passed an ordinance permitting a permanent easement of land that would allow for the reopening and operation of a well field that supplies water to the Oxford community.
The well field is located near Trenton-Oxford Road and Four Mile Creek.
An easement allows another person, or, in this case a local government, the right to use land for a specific purpose.
According to Mike Dreisbach, Oxford service director, reopening the well is necessary and will save the city close to $60,000 in electricity costs annually, in addition to providing more locally pumped water.
Currently, much of the city's water comes from the Seven Mile Pumping Station, which is located 12 miles away at a lower elevation than the city of Oxford. Pumping water to a higher elevation for this distance is expensive, Dreisbach said.
The proposed well field near Trenton-Oxford Road is located next to the city's water treatment plant.
However, in order to re-open the well field, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) requires a 300-foot isolation zone surrounding all sides of a production well.
The land required for this isolation zone is approximately 4.09 acres and is currently owned by the Robert G. Sherman Trust. Without obtaining an easement for this land, the city of Oxford can not meet OEPA regulations nor re-open the well.
The passing of the ordinance is important to city councilor Doug Ross.
"I know that clean drinking water will become scarcer and scarcer and city council staff has been excellent about securing drinking water for our future," Ross said.
Oxford Vice Mayor Ken Bogard said he agreed that the passing was essential.
"This benefits all the citizens in the city of Oxford," Bogard said. "Water is a precious commodity wherever you live. It is a very important to service the citizens and students with water."
The city hired Michael Moorhead, a certified land appraiser, who valued the target area at $61,500. As a result, the city applied for and received a grant from the Miami Conservancy District for $49,900.
With 80 percent of the easement already funded, the city's water improvement fund will only be faced with $11,600 of the cost.
"This is a very fair price for what the city is gaining," said Richard Keebler, Oxford city councilor.
Ross said the council is appreciative of Robert Sherman, after whom the land trust is named, for considering the plan.
"It is very kind of Dr. Sherman to consider the easement," he said. "Many property owners would not consider it."
Sherman is still contemplating the issue but has agreed that the city has offered a fair price and is not trying to raise it.
The Ohio Public Works Commission has also granted the city $250,000 toward the rehabilitation of the well. The city of Oxford will be responsible for the remainder of the rehabilitation costs.
"It is a target goal to complete the project over the summer and begin realizing the productivity and savings associated with the high demand of water in the months of August and September," Dreisbach said.
"However, if the project is not completed there is no cause for concern. The city will not experience a water shortage."
