20 Avon Lake Homes Affected After Water Main Break May 15

Parts of Ashwood Drive under water. One driveway, parts of street damaged.

Residents of Ashwood Drive found their street under water May 15, despite the dry weather after a water main break between Electric and Redwood boulevards. Avon Lake Municipal Utilities representative said that at approximately 7 p.m. last night, power surges in Avon Lake caused pressure fluctuations at Avon Lake Municipal Utilities’ Water Filtration Plant. The stutter effect caused a break in the 50-year old water main on Ashwood Drive between Electric and Redwood, affecting approximately 20 homes. Being so close to the filtration/pumping station, the water was coming out very quickly. The break was fixed in 3 and a half hours. ALMU engineers did not speculate the quantity of water lost. A resident’s driveway and part of Ashwood Drive …

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Lori E. Switaj

4:46 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thanks for the update Todd. Sounds like the flood resulted in a nice little get-together for the Ashwood residents as well. We hope to keep residents updated as the sewer separations get underway.   more ›

Poll: Should Westlake Leave Cleveland Water?

Critics say the move could be expensive.

The city of Westlake has come under scrutiny recently for plans to switch water service suppliers from the Cleveland Division of Water to Avon Lake Municipal Utilities. The Plain Dealer's Brent Larkin wrote Saturday that the switch was "a ruse," and that a potential lawsuit from Cleveland makes the idea an "$86 million gamble" that could cause the city a lot of financial harm. Westlake officials have said that the move would provide residents with higher water pressure, lower rates and better customer service. Mayor Dennis Clough and city council members have complained about Cleveland Water's service, citing billing problems, broken fire hydrants and aging infrastructure. An editorial in Friday's Plain Dealer suggested that both Westlake …

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Westlake Mayor Wants Avon Lake Water

City of Westlake moving toward using water from Avon Lake Municipal Utilities. Calls Cleveland Water insufficient.

City Offers Free Rain Gauges in Wake of Record Rainfall

Engineering Department hopes to gain more accurate information on the city's rainfall.

Anyone who lives in Avon Lake knows this year has been a wet one. So wet that the Engineering Department is giving away rain gauges to residents as part of a program to monitor the exact amount of rainfall throughout the city, said Engineering Manager Joe Reitz. “We have about 50 (gauges), and we’ll be giving them out until they’re gone,” he said. The free gauges can be picked up at the department’s offices, located in City Hall, and residents have to promise to report rainfall events of more than 1 inch, Reitz said. There is no official weather center in the city – the Avon Lake Public Library has an unofficial rain gauge that reports to Weather Underground, but the closest official center is at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. …

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This Week in Cable: Tour the 9/11 Memorial Garden

This week's roundup of shows on Avon Lake Cable Television

Avon Lake Cable Television: Week of Sept. 7-13 This week on ALC-TV, Jan and Jean are on location to visit the 9/11 Memorial at the Avon Lake High School on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. Singer Jmy T sings an original patriotic song. In the continuing series, “The Water Series,” ALMU presents “The Story of Drinking Water.” Children learn how water gets from the clouds to their drinking glass.  Saturday, Aug. 20 found the “Sunset Festival” at Miller Road Park, hosted by the Avon Lake Recreation Department. There was music, a magician, balloon sculpting and telescopes (provided by the Black River Astronomical Society).  Barb and Andre travel to the Burton Apple Butter Festival this week on “Out and About.” Public Access Program Schedule (The …

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ALMU Launches Water Series With “Liquid Assets”

Opening show is a documentary about the nation’s water, wastewater and stormwater systems

A series about water and Avon Lake Municipal Utilities is making its debut Aug. 17 on Avon Lake Community Television (Time Warner channel 12). The weekly show will feature segments on ALMU projects, as well as videos about topics ranging from the water cycle, to water infrastructure and water treatment. “The series is targeted at many audiences,” Todd Danielson, ALMU’s chief executive, said. “It will have fun and informative segments for younger audiences. Teachers may want to show some segments in class. It will also have segments meant for more mature audiences.”  The initial show, Liquid Assets, a 90 minute documentary about the nation’s water, wastewater and stormwater systems, will be broadcast multiple times daily for one week …

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Meiners Objects to 7% Raises for Avon Lake Municipal Utilities Workers

Utilities' operations head says increase is for job upgrade; not a raise

Avon Lake City Councilman Larry Meiners is ojecting to proposed 7 percent raises for three Avon Lake Municipal Utilities employees. The three employees, Kris Kral, Andre Mackin (recommended both move to biller bookkeeper I) and Linda Stotridge (cashier/bookkeeper) would have their hourly rates invrease to $26.11 each, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2011, if legislation is approved. The three positions are for non-bargaining unit employees. Meiners objected at the June 13 meeting. The utilities department revised the position’s descriptions recently. In an email to Council President Greg Zilka, Rick Eberle, the Chief of Utility Operations for ALMU said the positions had not been reviewed and rewritten since 1991. “What this request is for is a ‘job…

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Avon Lake Municipal Utilities Board Approves $30.1 Million Budget, Explains Water Rate Increase

Department's top exec explains need for 30 percent increase to council members

The Avon Lake Board of Municipal Utilities (ALMU) approved a $30.1 million budget at its Jan. 18 meeting. Six days later, the department’s top executive explained the need for a rate increase that equals 30 percent in three years. The water rate increase will go into effect this July. Recently appointed Chief Utilities Executive Todd Danielson said the budget was prepared so no external loans would be required for capital projects in 2011. ALMU will begin the first year of a three-year rate increase this summer that will help balance revenues with the anticipated costs of a 10-year, $50 million, capital improvement program. That plan was approved at a Dec. 23 meeting. Danielson gave a presentation at the Jan. 24 council meeting explaining …

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Avon Lake Water Rates to Increase 31 Percent by 2013

Rates will still remain lowest in region

Sewer and water rates are going up for Avon Lake residents by 13 percent in July to pay for water system improvements but that's not the end of it:  more hikes are on the way that, by July 2013, will total 31 percent. Chief Utilities Executive Todd Danielson said the increases are necessary to improve the department's infrastructure and help pay for more than $42 million in Ohio EPA-mandated work, which will separate sewer and water flow and upgrade the water treatment plant. The Avon Lake Municipal Utilities Department  board unanimously approved three consecutive years of sewer increases and two years of water rate increases following a presentation by Danielson on Dec. 23. "Everyone's rates will go up," Danielson said. The …

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