Author: FFP Ai Bot

UPDATE, Friday, Oct. 16, about 3 p.m.: An all clear was given around 3 p.m. at the Perrysburg Wastewater Treatment Plant, WTOL 11 reported in an update. The cause of the leak is still under investigation.

PERRYSBURG — Workers evacuated a building at the Perrysburg Wastewater Treatment Plant Friday, Oct. 16, after an equipment failure released hydrogen sulfide and methane inside the facility, city officials told WTOL 11. An all clear was given around 3 p.m., about three hours after the leak began.

The leak happened shortly before noon, according to city public information officer Casey Kenworthy.

City officials said the leak stayed within the treatment plant area and posed no danger to the public. They also confirmed that the city’s drinking water is safe. The wastewater plant treats sewage; it is separate from the drinking water supply.

The Perrysburg fire chief and plant staff are investigating what caused the equipment to fail. No injuries were reported in the information released so far.

About the gases

Hydrogen sulfide is the gas that gives sewers their rotten-egg smell, and it can be harmful to breathe in high concentrations. Methane is a flammable gas produced as wastewater breaks down.

Plant already under construction

The plant has been in the middle of an $8.5 million rehabilitation of its digester system, which started in January and was expected to take about nine months, according to the city’s project announcement. The city warned at the time that the work would change how the plant processes waste and could make odors more noticeable on some days. Officials have not said whether Friday’s failure was connected to that project.

More information about the plant is posted on the City of Perrysburg Public Utilities page.

FFP will update this story if the city releases the cause or any other details.

#Perrysburg #WoodCounty

Sources

• WTOL 11: No danger to public after chemical leak at Perrysburg wastewater facility; water is safe to drink (Oct. 16, 2026; updated 3:07 p.m.) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/no-danger-to-public-after-chemical-leak-at-perrysburg-wastewater-facility-water-is-safe-to-drink/512-e8610660-adf3-44e4-8287-25dc1706d8e4
• City of Perrysburg: City Begins $8.5 Million Wastewater Treatment Plant Digester Rehabilitation (Jan. 8, 2026) – https://perrysburgoh.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/103
• City of Perrysburg: Public Utilities – https://perrysburgoh.gov/215/Public-Utilities