Written by For over a decade, the City of Galion has framed its utility struggles as the standard “growing pains” of aging infrastructure. However, newly available forensic data from January 2026, along with other extenssive amounts of data we have reported on, and some we have not yet reported, reveals a pattern of reactive management and operational instability that extends far beyond routine maintenance.
While a broken water main is a “normal” small-town issue, the evidence in Galion points to a systemic failure of municipal governance that has triggered high-level legal intervention.
Citizens are hoping that former or current city workers will continue to step forward to supply Marion Watch Investigates and local Galion activists with pertinent information to ensure action is taken.
Marion Watch will continue looking at this situtation very closely.
This document is an Asbestos Monitoring Determination form from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Newly Available Evidence: The January 2026 Operational Collapse
Technical documents released in mid-January 2026 provide immediate proof that the city’s utility systems are currently failing to handle standard environmental stressors.
- Headworks Failure (Jan 20, 2026): Official non-compliance notifications document a total loss of plant headworks operation, which caused the sanitary sewer to back up into the community.
- Pollutant Exceedance (Jan 20, 2026): Technical monitoring recorded a surge in Total Suspended Solids (TSS) reaching 239 mg/l, significantly violating the permit limit of 184 mg/l. This failure was attributed to high rainfall, indicating that the system’s “headworks” are no longer capable of managing typical seasonal weather events.
- Asbestos-Cement (AC) Pipe Certification (Jan 13, 2026): In a newly filed Asbestos Monitoring Determination, Superintendent James Warne officially certified the presence of brittle, 1950s-era transite pipe in high-traffic residential areas.
- Documented Locations: Certified AC pipe remains in active service on Arlington Ave (installed 1955), Highland Ave (1956), and Portland Way N (1956).
- Immediate Deadlines: The city is under a state-mandated deadline to return this assessment by January 23, 2026, with required sampling to be completed no later than December 31, 2031.
This report presents the findings of a geotechnical engineering study for the Powers Reservoir Slope Stability Evaluation in Galion, Ohio, performed for the City of Galion.
Infrastructure Forensics: The Powers Reservoir Failure
A forensic review of the February 2021 Geotechnical Engineering Report by Terracon Consultants reveals that Galion’s physical infrastructure issues are the result of inadequate technical management rather than simple age.
- Unsafe Stability Factors: Safety factors for the reservoir’s downstream slopes were found to be below the acceptable minimums recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
- Failed “Band-Aid” Repairs: The investigation found that while the city attempted slope repairs in 2005 and 2011, they failed to install a necessary drainage system during reconstruction. This technical omission trapped water pressure inside the embankments, leaving them in a state of ongoing instability.
This document is a Non-compliance Notification for Exceedance of a Daily Maximum Discharge Limit to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water.
The “$45 Million” Risk and Pretreatment Scandal
Recent public debate, sparked by citizen Brenda Akers, suggests that municipal “violations” and “negligence” have reached a value of approximately $45 million. This figure, while not a direct EPA fine, serves as a definitive marker for total system liability.
- Asset Value vs. Cost of Neglect: Official documents show that the insurable value of city assets exceeds $45 million. By allowing “corrosive structural damage” through failed oversight, the city is effectively gambling with the entire value of the utility system.
- Administrative Abandonment: A 2024 OEPA inspection proved that oversight of industrial dumping effectively ceased for years. Permits for major industrial users were expired since 2022, and the city conducted zero inspections or sampling for an entire year (2023–2024).
- Internal Suppression: When red flags regarding revenue and massive water loss were raised, leadership reportedly told the City Treasurer to “stay in her lane” during the February 26, 2024, City Council meeting.
The Carcinogenic Loop and Public Health
Since 2014, Galion has remained in a TTHM violation loop—chronic exceedances of carcinogenic byproducts formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter.
- Legal Duress: On August 31, 2023, the Ohio EPA issued “Director’s Final Findings and Orders” (DFFO), a serious legal escalation rarely applied to towns with “normal” maintenance issues. Galion now operates under a Conditional License to Operate, a public confirmation of a failing system.
- The Cancer Cluster: For the 44833 ZIP code (2014–2023), three malignant childhood brain tumors were reported against an expected 1.4—a 114% increase. 2025 research in Environmental Health Perspectives indicates that cancer risks significantly increase at TTHM levels above 41 ppb, while Galion’s 10-year average consistently exceeds 81 ppb.
This document is a Non-compliance Notification for Exceedance of a Daily Maximum Discharge Limit for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) Division of Surface Water.
Financial Mismanagement: “Borrowed Time”
The administration has consistently prioritized political optics—specifically debt avoidance—over immediate health repairs.
- Loan Refusal: In 2021, the city declined low-interest EPA loans that would have fixed these issues years ago, choosing to wait for grants to avoid “excessive regulation”.
- Mandated Deadlines: The city is now racing to meet state-mandated deadlines for safety projects:
- Amann Pump House: Plans are due by March 31, 2026, with completion by December 31, 2027.
- Clearwell Project: Completion is mandated by December 15, 2027.
The Verdict: Disproving the “Normal” Narrative
The cumulative evidence—specifically the January 20, 2026, headworks failure and the February 2021 geotechnical “smoking gun”—disproves the notion that these are “normal small-town issues.” Normal issues do not involve a decade-long loop of carcinogenic violations, the omission of drainage in multimillion-dollar reservoir repairs, or the total cessation of industrial monitoring. Galion’s water crisis is the result of a decade of choosing the “bare minimum” over public safety, leaving the community on “borrowed time” under the direct legal duress of the State of Ohio.
Works Cited (Click Here)
- City of Galion. “City Responds to Social Media Posts Regarding Water.” Civic Alerts. https://www.galion.city/CivicAlerts.aspx?aid=444
- Ohio EPA to City of Galion. “Transmitted Electronically to Mayor and Council – February 26, 2024.” Richland Source document archive. https://www.richlandsource.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GalionIUEPA.pdf
- Galion Inquirer. “EPA Advisory: Residents Do Not Need to Use an Alternative Water Supply.” March 29, 2022. https://www.galioninquirer.com/2022/03/29/73395/
- City of Galion. “2024 Consumer Confidence Report – Water Treatment.” https://www.galion.city/DocumentCenter/View/1531/2024-Consumer-Confidence-Report
- Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. “2022 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report.” https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/epa.ohio.gov/Portals/35/tmdl/2022intreport/Draft-2022-IR.pdf
- City of Galion. “Reports and Notifications.” https://www.galion.city/315/Reports-and-Notifications