SCIOTO COUNTY— Scioto County has received a letter of violations from the Ohio EPA regarding problems and complaints in the Highland Bend and Wheelersburg area.

“This is something we will be meeting with our sanitary engineer on in the very near future,” Commission Chair Bryan Davis said.

The problem stems from sewage going into ditches instead of the existing sewer system. Residents are unable to connect to the sewer system.

In addition to discussions with the sanitary engineer, the commissioners will be scheduling a meeting with the EPA “to be discussing what these orders basically state and what we need to do to satisfy the orders,” Davis said. “We are aware of it, we will deal with it.”

Commissioner Scottie Powell said some of the problem could be a lack of communication between the homeowners or builders and local health departments.

“If you are looking at building, please reach out to the city health dept to ensure that land is being tested appropriately” to make sure it can handle the septic system, he said. “[We are] dealing with it after the fact instead of catching issues on the front end.”

Powell pointed to acreage requirements that have to be considered for sewage systems and said the city health department can prove helpful during the building process.

“The county health department can do the same,” Davis said. “Out in the townships, if you plan to build … please get with the county health department — or the city if it’s in the city limits — before you build. Before you spend any money, you need to ask good questions.”

Davis said, again, the commissioners are aware of the problem and are working with the Ohio EPA to get it taken care of.

“We will work with the EPA to get these resolved,” he said. “Matter of fact, they’re already working on that.”