MILLBURY — The general counsel for Northwestern Water and Sewer District laid out his case for a new
contract with City of Toledo water to Lake Township and Walbridge officials.
Rex Huffman spoke to the Lake Township Trustees and Walbridge Council this week. Both entities are
members of the district.
While other options, including Bowling Green and an aquifer, have been considered, the decision to stay
with the city to the north is about a done deal, he said.
“Today, I would say everyone is leaning toward City of Toledo,” Huffman said.
The reasons include being prepared for economic development, having a seat at the table and not having to
build infrastructure.
Huffman said that the 795 Corridor, reaching down Ohio 795 from Interstate 75 to Interstate 280, has been
getting a lot of attention from developers. First Solar is about to open a new plant and Walgreens is
also expanding on Route 795.
“We want to be able to say yes (to future development). The only (water) provider in Northwest Ohio that
can do that is Toledo,” he said. “We’ve got to be ready to serve that. So, for us, that has been
somewhat of a tipping point.
“If we have another First Solar that comes along that needs a million gallons of water, we need to say
yes right away,” Huffman said. “Toledo’s about the only area that can supply that.”
He said that the district has not made a final decision on Toledo. Huffman is going out to partner
communities, listening to concerns.
Perrysburg and the district are the last two pieces of the Toledo water agreement, he said. While Huffman
believes that Perrysburg will pick Toledo, the city could come up with its own contract with Bowling
Green.
“We couldn’t pull a Perrysburg and go to BG,” asked Walbridge Council President Joe Weissenberger.
Huffman said that Walbridge is part of the district, which includes dozens of other customers. The
village cannot negotiate with Bowling Green, like Perrysburg could do.
Walbridge Mayor Ed Kolanko asked if Oregon water was an option.
“Ultimately infrastructure costs didn’t make sense,” Huffman said.
Huffman said Bowling Green water was ruled out by the district because it is not available quickly. He
added that they have high-quality water and a well-run utilities plant.
“I don’t want anyone to walk away thinking that was sub-standard,” he said.
Lake Township Trustee Ken Gilsdorf asked how feasible the Michindoh aquifer was. Huffman said there was
“unbelievable quantity of underground water there, a vast supply.
“We would need a long-term study to determine how sustainable that is,” he said.
Trustee Richard Welling said he believed lawsuits would have also held up the aquifer choice.
“The opposition was going to be significant, but that’s not the reason to not do something. If it’s smart
you’ve got to keep looking at it,” Huffman said, adding that it would have taken “years and years” of
studies to find out if the aquifer was sustainable.
“We just don’t have the time,” he said.
The decision to stay with Toledo wasn’t always a given, Huffman said.
“I tell you, I thought when we started we’d be looking for another option than the City of Toledo,” he
said.
Over the years, there had been significant rate increases and cost sharing issues, Huffman said.
Sylvania, Maumee, Perrysburg, Whitehouse and Southern Monroe County all had agreements similar to the
district’s. In the beginning of negotiations, everyone was looking for a seat at the table for Toledo
water, he said.
“When we started that process … we were trying to create a new regional water district … with everyone
being somewhat of an owner. That idea crashed and burned in early 2018,” he said. “Since then we’ve been
working to get some type of contract with the City of Toledo that all the constituent communities could
live with.”
Under the leadership of Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, the city changed its charter and created a regional
water commission. “Professionals,” including the district’s engineer Tom Stalter, will sit on the
commission, Huffman said.
“That was really somewhat of a revolutionary idea,” he said.