T-L Photo/J.D. LONG This water tower along U.S. 250 reportedly has been leaking onto a SUnset Heights property for the past two years.
MARTINS FERRY — Sunset Heights residents Teena and Ty Miller told Martins Ferry City Council about a problem they say has been plaguing them for two years.
The Millers say the city’s Sunset Heights water tower is leaking onto their property. Teena, who spoke first, offered a way for the city to save about $130,000 annually. But the secret is in the fix, and she listed some figures that added up to the amount she said the city is losing because of the leak.
“We measure the water that’s discharging from that tank,” Miller told council. “Not only is it harmful to the citizens of Martins Ferry but this is costing them, as it’s costing the city.”
She added that it is harmful to their property, turning sections of their property to mud.
“Part of our property is so soft from all the water that is discharged we can’t use nor can we enjoy our property,” she continued.
She said their only driveway in and out of their 45 acres of land is beginning to wash away. She also said if that road gets washed away, they will have no way in or out of their own property.
“I’m an attorney and my concern is we’re getting to the point where the statute of limitations is about to run,” she said. “We need to take action. You need to take action.”
She then reminded council of the steps she’s previously taken regarding the problem. She said two “representatives” from the city inspected her property and told her the water was “probably coming from a spring on the hill and there’s nothing they could do about it.”
She’s also had discussions with Water Superintendent Bill Suto dating back to 2019 and was told he’d been in touch with the mayor’s office regarding the problem but nothing had come of that since then. She said the leak can be seen coming from the tank where it drains down a hill and across and underneath their driveway.
She said Suto, who was not present at Wednesday’s meeting, had measured 15 gallons per minute leaking from the tank, which she said equates to 900 gallons per hour, 21,600 gallons per day and 648,000 gallons per month, adding up to a whopping 7,776,000 gallons of wasted water per year. She said after contacting the water department to check the rates, Miller said it came to a loss of $366.07 per day. This, she said, adds up to a little more than $131,000 loss for the city per year.
“That is what is costing the city of Martins Ferry and the residents,” Miller said.
Ty Miller added that he fears their water and electric utilities that stretch behind their home are “probably compromised.” He said that if it continues to rain as it has in the recent past, they’re going to get washed out because of what the tower leak has done to their property.
Mayor John Davies said the first thing the city would do in response is to test the water, which he said would tell them if it’s actually spring water or not. He made it clear he wasn’t saying that it wasn’t the city’s problem. His concern is that the tower had been inspected but council is now hearing that it’s leaking. He said if it is city water that is leaking, then crews will find out where it’s coming from.
“And we’ll fix the problem,” he said.
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