ORIENT, OH – The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) has delivered a stern Notice of Violation (NOV) to the Pickaway Correctional Institution (PCI) for numerous infractions at its wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The violations, stemming from an April 9, 2025, Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI), paint a concerning picture of neglected infrastructure and environmental stewardship at the state facility.
The detailed NOV, addressed to Ken Griffith, Program Administrator for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC), highlights a litany of issues, ranging from missing data submissions to critical equipment failures and improper biosolids management. The prison's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, effective since February 1, 2023, and set to expire in January 2028, is now clearly in jeopardy.
Among the most immediate concerns is the failure to submit Discharge Monitoring Reports (eDMRs) for multiple stations from August 2024 through March 2025. This lapse, according to the Ohio EPA, has placed the facility in a state of "significant non-compliance (SNC)," a serious designation that often triggers escalated enforcement actions.
Beyond the missing paperwork, the inspection uncovered alarming operational deficiencies. The PCI WWTP currently operates without a Certified Operator of Record (ORC), a critical position that has been vacant since August 2024. This directly violates state regulations and the NPDES permit, raising significant questions about the competency and oversight of the plant's daily operations.
Furthermore, the Ohio EPA noted that the WWTP is not meeting minimum staffing hour requirements for a Class III facility. While James Lyons (Class I Wastewater Operator) and Nathan Thornsberry (Class I Drinking Water Operator) are present, their shared responsibilities across both wastewater and water treatment plants fall short of the mandated personnel levels.
Perhaps most concerning are the observations of poor operation and maintenance throughout the WWTP. The inspection revealed:
- A complete lack of a current, established operation and maintenance program.
- Multiple broken and out-of-service treatment components, including an aerator in the south oxidation ditch, a disc filter, UV disinfection (critical for pathogen removal), a digester blower, and the electrical panel for all disc filters.
- Excess sludge buildup in the south oxidation ditch.
- Poor condition of clarifier weirs, essential for separating solids from treated water.
- A sludge storage barn at full capacity, indicating a potential backlog in proper sludge disposal.
The violations extend to the prison's biosolids management practices, with several instances of non-compliance. PCI was found to have applied Class B biosolids to a beneficial use site authorized to another NPDES permitted facility, specifically the City of Columbus. This unauthorized use of land for biosolids disposal is a clear breach of permit conditions.
Additional biosolids violations include an incomplete agronomic rate calculation (ARC) for the 2022 beneficial use event, meaning the amount of biosolids applied may not have been appropriate for the crop and could lead to nutrient runoff. The facility also failed to post required signage at the beneficial use site for the minimum seven days prior to biosolids delivery, limiting public notification and awareness.
Critically, total phosphorus in sludge was not reported for 2022, and biosolids beneficial use records for 2023 were unavailable. These omissions highlight a severe lack of proper record-keeping, with Mr. Griffith reportedly stating that all biosolids records were maintained by the previous operator and were not recovered upon his retirement. Finally, the 2024 Annual Sludge Report (ASR) was not submitted by its March 1, 2025, deadline, adding another layer to the administrative failures.
The Ohio EPA has given PCI 30 days from the receipt of the NOV to provide documentation of actions taken or planned to resolve the cited violations. Failure to comply could result in administrative or civil penalties, as outlined in Chapter 6111.09 of the Ohio Revised Code.
This situation at the Pickaway Correctional Institution's WWTP serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of proper environmental management, even within state-run facilities. The downstream impacts of untreated or improperly treated wastewater can be significant, posing threats to local water quality, ecosystems, and public health. As the Ohio EPA pushes for compliance, the prison faces a considerable task in rectifying years of apparent neglect and bringing its wastewater operations up to environmental standards.
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