Committee waives sewer fees for annual Nature's Nursery mud-run fundraiser

A Maumee City Council committee voted to waive the sewer portion of utility charges for an annual mud-run fundraiser that benefits Nature's Nursery, after hearing from the event organizer and staff about how the event uses water.

Jesse Spear, who identified himself as the owner and operator of Toledo Sport and Social Club and said he has run the event for 14 years, told the committee the event has grown to more than 100 teams (more than 1,000 participants) and that organizers excavate pits and pump significant amounts of water to create mud. He said Lucas County’s facilities department previously paid the water/sewer bills and that county commissioners have indicated they will cover the water portion going forward. "We're up to about 450,000 gallons," Spear said when describing the event's water use.

Committee members and staff discussed options for monitoring and limiting any waiver, noting the city's existing pool-metering arrangement—where permitted pools can qualify for a sewer-waiver for a measured amount of water (committee discussion referenced 3,000–4,000 gallons as an example). Staff raised concerns about hydrant metering and backflow protection; one staff member said hydrant submetering had previously been described as infeasible unless a backflow device was added. After staff indicated they saw no infiltration into the sewer system in past years, a committee member moved to waive sewer fees for the event. The motion was seconded and approved by the committee.

The committee did not record a precise limit or monitoring mechanism in the motion; the presenter offered to cover up to 450,000 gallons if the committee wanted a cap. Staff committed to follow up on technical metering and backflow issues before implementing any formal monitoring rule.

The waiver allows the event to continue making donations to Nature's Nursery without bearing the full sewer cost immediately; the committee's action included direction for staff to determine practicable monitoring and any cap or conditions for future events.