The city of Norton faces another deadline linked to its sewage runoff problems.

The Ohio EPA is pressing Norton to clean up the Nash Heights neighborhood, and the Summit County Health Department is considering declaring that area a public nuisance.

Norton mayor Mike Zita says that the city will have to move towards extending sanitary sewers as a result.

"To my understanding, it's pretty much the only option that we have," Zita tells AkronNewsNow.com. "and...at this point, we're going to be forced as a city to move into a direction of sanitary sewer."

Norton City Council tabled a sewer plan in July over concerns about excessive cost. It's this move Zita believes raised a "red flag" with the Ohio EPA.

The city will present a plan to state environmental regulators by Tuesday's deadline, a plan which Zita says will have to include sewers.

A public meeting on the topic will be held Tuesday night at 7:30 at Norton High School.

Zita says he realizes the cost of extending sewer service is high.

"We have had meetings," Zita says, "and we will continue to have meetings and look for ways to possibly reduce the cost of different systems or other costs of projects that we have."

Those affected have packed Norton City Council meetings protesting the sewer plans.