In a letter to Fred Snell, Pretreatment Coordinator for the Division of Surface Water in the Southeast District Office of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Leeann Sammons, Vice President of Health and Safety at Southern Ohio Medical Center, says the city of Portsmouth has failed to approve permit requests for the installation of two grinders to handle debris coming out of SOMC and going into the city’s sewer system.

In that correspondence Sammons says — “On June 29, 2010 SOMC submitted to the city of Portsmouth a permit to install two grinders. Mr. Larry Justice (City Engineering Dept.) informed us on Aug. 5, 2010 that the permit was no longer in his department and that the Mayor was handling this permit request. On Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010, a call was made to the Mayor’s office to inquire as to the status of the permit. To date, SOMC has not received a response from the Mayor’s office.”

Portsmouth Mayor Jane Murray told the Times Monday, she has put the issue in the hands of Steve Canter of Environmental Engineering Services, who says he is working with Abby Floyd of SOMC.

“SOMC is completing the EPA Permit to Install application, and we want to ensure what we approve is what the Ohio EPA approves,” Canter said. “The city’s permit will be forthcoming after they make application to the Ohio EPA.”

Canter said his company, representing the city, is trying to coordinate everything that will be required by the EPA, so the city’s permit will be consistent with the EPA review, and would be the most efficient and time-effective process for SOMC as they go through the process.

“We are in the process of filling the papers out,” Floyd said. “I had a clarification on a couple of questions. And EPA answered me back today (Monday). So that will be finished. And the only thing that we are waiting on currently is a one sheet blueprint of how the grinders are going to lay on the campus. That goes to the city and the EPA. But I have to have that (blue)print before the permit is filed with the EPA. So we are in communication (with the city). I’m actually waiting on a letter from Mr. Canter as well.”

The correspondence from Sammons said SOMC has engaged with URS Corporation for architectural services to provide a current campus site map with all utilities, including all exterior sewer lines, the sewer lines that will not be served by the grinder systems and then a simplified flow diagram. Sammons said URS has agreed to provide the necessary diagrams to SOMC by Sept. 20, 2010. They also submitted a request to the city to proceed with plans to reroute SOMC’s sanitary lines into their storm lines and then into Lawson’s Run at 27th Street.