Health board hears from concerned resident

FOSTORIA — The Seneca County General Health District Board of Health heard from concerned Fostoria resident Louis Watkins at its regular meeting Thursday. According to him, the water at his residence is undrinkable. "We have no solution for our water problem," Watkins said. "Do any of you want a gallon of free water? I guarantee you won't want to drink it." Watkins later said even his pets didn't want to drink the water from his kitchen sink. District director of environmental health Ryan Sendelbach reported Watkins' water supply had been tested multiple times, each time testing within normal parameters. "It's a gamut of about $1,000 worth of tests," Sendelbach said. Watkins said he couldn't afford to have city water installed and wanted to know if the board of health could do anything to help resolve the issue. Board member Scott Lyons advised the board doesn't have authority over water from the city of Fostoria. WIN Waste Innovations public relations manager Ben Nutter reported the landfill has over 60 groundwater monitoring wells surrounding the facility. "So we know what the water looks like before it goes under the facility and we know what it looks like after it comes out from beneath it," Nutter said. Nutter also said the health district has years of data that shows the landfill is not contaminating the groundwater. According to Nutter, a third party lab also tests the water for contaminants. Also at the meeting the board continued a discussion from a previous meeting about a new policy for the board about the use of cell phones for health district business. "It's a way to protect your personal information," health commissioner Julie Richards advised, warning against board members putting anything having to do with the general health district in writing on their personal cell phones in the case those messages would be subject to public records requests. "The only way to get those messages is to take the whole phone," Richards said. Lyons asked if it would be possible to set up a voice mailbox for each board member to which Richards said she would look into it. Richards later reported landfill oversight and compliance director, Harold Huffman, was currently on personal leave and asked for board permission to rehire for the position. The board later approved the action item. In other news, the board of health approved several action items from the agenda including: A rescinding of a resolution authorizing a renewal levy for the November 2025 election but later approved a resolution authorizing a renewal levy for the November 2025 election with the date of collection corrected. The resignation of Kerry Werner as a full-time public health nurse. Contracts with the Ohio Department of Health for use of Ohio Vital Statistics Data, the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency for water pollution control loan fund assistance and with Geophyta Inc. for home sewage treatment systems for three different properties. The next board of health meeting is 5 p.m. July 24 at 92 E. Perry St., in Tiffin.