FAIRFIELD — Neighbors in this Butler County suburb are fighting a proposal by Cincinnati officials to build a nine-acre sludge pit for lime waste near their upscale homes.

        Greater Cincinnati Water Works officials want to place the pit at the existing River Road water treatment plant, which serves northern Hamilton County. But it would border the Monastery and Riverside Estates subdivisions, where 250 to 300 homes average $300,000 in sale price.

        Livid residents are circulating petitions and other neighborhoods are gearing up to join the battle, said Gregory Sunday, vice president of the Monastery Homeowners Association. They fear the landfill will bring blight, noise and reduced property values.

        “This is hideous,” Mr. Sunday said. “There's other places they could put that pit. It's time for Hamilton County and Cincinnati to graduate into the 21st century and take care of their own waste and do so in a more environmental friendly manner than just dumping it in our backyards.” City Council will hold the first reading for an ordinance to approve the landfill at their 7 p.m. meeting tonight, and a public hearing will be held at the June 24 meeting. The council is expected to vote on the matter in either July or August.

        The proposed sludge pit sits in a basin 70 feet below the homes and is about 650 feet back in a lushly wooded area, so it would be hidden from view, said Rob Schroeder, a Cincinnati engineer during a May council work session.

        An existing sludge pit for the plant is nearing capacity, he said. It borders the plant about 1,500 feet from where Cincinnati officials want to place the new pit, which will be capped once it fills up in about 30 years.

        Mr. Schroeder and other city engineers have met with concerned residents and plan another meeting to try to work out the dispute.

        “We would like to use our own land for the basin because there is a very big advantage in keeping all the trucks and materials on our own property and not sending them down public roads,” he said. “We are not interested in getting into an antagonistic relationship with these people.”

        Fairfield City Council must grant specific approval for sanitary landfills or any other type of garbage disposal facility in the city, according to zoning codes.

        Last week, some council members toured the existing pit and the land where the new one is proposed but remain split over the issue.

        They said they are concerned about the impact the landfill will have on the area, which is filled with large trees, deer and wild turkey that would have to be cleared out.

        “You hate to see them scalp nine acres of land to put a pit in there for the lime sludge,” Councilman Steve Miller said. “I don't know if they will ever be able to reclaim the land after they dump lime on it for 30 years.”

        Councilman Ron D'Epifanio said he will vote against it.

        “I just think it's a horrible idea, especially for folks who are in their dream homes and don't want this in their backyards,” he said. “I can't in good conscience vote for it.”

New allegation puts priest on leave
Parishioners learn of allegations
Halting violence is mom's new goal
Heroin: Tristate users up; addicts getting younger
'Mall war' strategies outlined
Event breeds a doggone fun day for canines
Fiber-optic network nearly done
Hamilton chamber leader retires
Hope for a peaceful end
Sidewalks link homes with parks
Acquitted mother enjoys life
Residents petition against proposed landfill
Tristate A.M. Report
At vo-tech, brothers weld awards, skill
Kentucky plans possible bioterrorism response
New N.Ky. group to push gay rights
Program expands education in Ohio
Two men found dead in Indy hotel room
BRONSON: Boycott battle
You Asked For It