A root-cause analysis of the March 5, 2023, transformer failure at the Mill Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Lower Price Hill has determined the failure was caused by a manufacturing defect internal to the transformer.
The Mill Creek plant lost all electrical power following the catastrophic failure of a brand-new transformer installed at the Mill Creek electric substation as part of a $17.5 million upgrade project. Without power to the plant, untreated and partially treated wastewater was discharged into the Mill Creek and Ohio River. There were no impacts to local drinking water.