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Roanoke council authorizes water sampling at lagoon near wastewater treatment plant

The Roanoke Town Council authorized water sampling at a lagoon nearby the town’s wastewater treatment plant at its meeting on Tuesday, July 18.

A total of four samples will be taken at the lagoon on Monday, July 24, by Element Fort Wayne, an environmental testing laboratory. The samples are being taken to determine if it would be safe to discharge the lagoon into the nearby Little River.

The town’s supervisor of operations, Phil Hibbert, stated that the testing process would take a few weeks. If the results are favorable, Hibbert will include them in a report to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and seek permission to discharge the lagoon.

IDEM is requiring that the town remove sludge from the bottom of the lagoon. Hibbert noted that IDEM had given the town until Sept. 10 to submit a closure plan for the lagoon.

Hibbert also informed council that he had applied for a Community Crossings matching grant from the state that would help fund road improvements in town.

Councilwoman Joan Abbott raised a concern about a sign that had been posted in a triangular strip of land by Locust Drive’s connection points with U.S.-24E. Abbott explained that the sign created a hazard for drivers as it obscured the view of traffic on the highway. Clerk-Treasurer JoAnne Kirchner noted that the Huntington Countywide Department of Community Development prohibits signs being posted on that land.

Kirchner added that she was disappointed about the condition of the “Discover Roanoke” sign adjacent to that strip of land, noting that it had been shot several times. She expressed interest in seeing the sign repaired, but remarked that she was uncertain of what entity was in charge of its upkeep.