‘You have all failed us;’ Piqua residents air frustrations over battery burning to city leaders

PIQUA — There will not be any more lithium-ion battery testing in Piqua — but some are still concerned about its impact on their city.

At Tuesday night’s city commission meeting, residents let city leaders know how frustrated they were.

When commissioners opened the floor to public comment, resident Jeff Lange was the first to speak.

“Who was the watchdog? Who was watching what they were doing?” Lange asked.

Lange was referring to the lithium-ion battery testing that happened at the city’s former water treatment plant.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ohio EPA: Piqua lithium-ion battery burning a ‘nuisance’; Fire dept. not on scene for burning

“You have all failed us,” Alisha Lange, who grew up in Piqua said.

According to the city, the battery burning started in 2018.

A third party, Energy Safety Response Group (ESRG), did the testing for training and research purposes for firefighters.

Last month, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Regional Air Pollution Control Agency inspected the site after getting several complaints from residents.

They found that ESRG went beyond what the air permit allowed.

The company agreed to stop testing and leave the site within two months.

Before Tuesday’s meeting, a couple dozen people protested outside city hall.

Tammy Smith brought her grandchildren.

>> Firefighter training program involving burning of lithium-ion batteries coming to an end in Piqua

“It’s a matter of our health they are dealing with,” she said.

City Manager Paul Oberdorfer spoke on the impact of the burning.

“At no point since 2018 has the Ohio EPA or the RAPCA reported any concerns regarding our community’s air, soil or water related to the site,” he said.

Fire Chief Brent Pohlschneider said it was all intended to help firefighters.

“It’s been a challenging journey, as a fire service official, and with the intent of research that benefits the fire service as a whole and how that was the intent and how that started out,” he said.

ESRG must be out by mid-November.

Pohlschneider said firefighter training will resume, but not involving lithium-ion batteries.

He said Piqua firefighters were not a part of that burning.

©2023 Cox Media Group