The Youngstown Board of Control in Ohio has approved more than $13.5 million in design contracts for a wastewater treatment facility. The project is part of a larger wastewater improvement effort mandated by a federal consent decree that has been in the works for years.
The board voted 3-0 Thursday to split the contracts between two companies: MS Consultants Inc., a Youngstown-based firm, and Arcadis U.S., Inc. The larger contract of about $7.63 million will go to MS Consultants, while Arcadis will receive about $5.89 million.
The future treatment facility will be an 80-million-gallon-per-day wet-weather building meant to handle large amounts of combined sewer overflow from the city’s largest discharge point during heavy rainstorms. The facility will use cloth-disk filter media technology to treat the wastewater.
The project replaces a previous requirement for a larger, 100-million-gallon-per-day facility. The city requested the modification, arguing that the larger facility was excessive for city needs and too expensive. Federal authorities approved the change in June, and U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko finalized the amended consent decree on Oct. 9.
Under the amended decree, final designs are due by July 2027. Construction must begin by January 2028, with completion mandated by September 2030. The smaller facility has a preliminary cost estimate of about $180 million, though that figure is expected to change once design work is completed.
The federal consent decree mandating the construction of the treatment facility stems from a 1998 lawsuit alleging violations of the Clean Water Act. The city signed the initial consent decree in 2002 and a subsequent agreement in 2014. While the June 2025 amendment adjusted the scope of the treatment facility, the city was still required to pay $739,500 in penalties for missing earlier project deadlines. The city paid that penalty in September.
Design work is expected to begin later this month and take one year to 18 months to complete, according to Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works. Both companies had done preliminary design work on the facility and will now handle the final design phase.
Under the agreement, MS Consultants will handle sitework design, utility coordination and design of an influent tunnel, influent pump station and grit removal. Arcadis U.S., Inc. will handle more specialized design aspects of the treatment facility, including electrical and instrumentation systems, screening systems, disinfection and high-rate treatment components.
Funding for all related contracts is available through the city’s Professional Services Fund.
Photo by 逐光 创梦 from Pexels
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