PIQUA —The city of Piqua updated residents on action taken regarding the former water treatment plant on Thursday, July 25, its most recent Update to the Community in March 2024.
In March 2024, Piqua reported that water testing, soil sampling, and air modeling had been completed following the ceased battery testing operations at the former water treatment plant in September of 2023. The site and areas of the community surrounding the site are free of pollutants and safe for residents.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviewed the plans before they were executed as well as the results. In April 2024, the city offered a community open house for residents to tour the Piqua Public Safety Regional Training Center, which was commissioned for use for firefighting and law enforcement training exercises shortly after. The newly constructed building, as well as the former water treatment plant, is used to train for situations such as live fire evolutions, ladder training, search and rescue functions, rappelling tower rope training, and forcible entry practice. Residents are invited to sign up to be notified of live fire trainings that occur at the site by enrolling in city programs and Notifications at the city website.
The Piqua City Commission approved an amended joint use agreement with Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in March of 2024 that no longer permits research and development activities at the site. The Commission also approved an ordinance in May 2024 to regulate burning activities on City property to allow only materials based on fire classification to ensure that the community is protected from similar concerns in the future.
In addition, the Piqua City Commission appointed five residents to the Commissioners Committee on the Fire Training Facility in March 2024 to better understand the events leading up to the discontinuation of the battery testing and to have the committee offer recommendations, as appropriate.
The committee members have more than 3,000 documents to review in relation to the site and meet regularly as they continue to understand the situation. The resolution amending the revised joint use agreement with Bowling Green State University and the ordinance prohibiting burning types can be found on the City of Piqua website. Other related documents and all past Updates to the Community are also available on the site.
Residents are encouraged to contact Piqua City Commissioners at the information on the city website or during the Mayor and Commissioners’ Corner Open Forum Meetings, offered from 4 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday on the second floor of the Municipal Government Complex located at 201 W. Water St.
