Overview given on sewer work

Portland City Council members received more details about the north side sewer separation project Monday night including an estimate that the project’s four phases could total about $9.4 million.
Kent Schuch of Schneider Corporation presented a preliminary report on the sewer separation project during a public hearing, running over outlines of the goals, needed upgrades, costs and timeline for the project.
The project will separate and add sewer lines north of Votaw Street from Industrial Park Drive on the west toward Morton Street on the east covering about 920 acres of land. The goal is to eliminate two combined sewer overflows on the north side.
The project will also include repairs and upgrades to the Portland Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In past meetings, city officials have noted the north side project would cost about $5.8 million. According to Schuch’s report, sewer construction only is estimated to cost about $5.4 million, but that total includes a $1.74 million upgrade of the wastewater plant as well as more than $1.76 million in construction contingency and other expenses.
“The contractors are still hungry, so we expect the prices to come in below estimates,” Schuch noted later on the construction costs.
The project will also be divided into two phases. The first phase includes the wastewater plant upgrades and work in Basin 2 — mostly consisting of the eastern portion centered around the Lafayette street area. The second phase will tackle sewer work in Basin 1 — the north including the airport and industries along Industrial Park Drive, and Basin 3, west of Meridian Street including Jay County Hospital and residences on Creagor Avenue, Franklin Street and Ben Hawkins Street.
The two phases will be split by about six months in order to allow a wider range of contractors the chance to bid on the projects.
The city will tackle the expense through several avenues including existing utility funds, a possible grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, loans from the revolving loan fund from the Indiana Finance Authority and utility rate increases.
The city has already phased in a 30 percent rate increase and plans to hike it by another 27 percent in 2012 to help cover the project costs.
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier said the city is looking into every funding possibility for the project including federal earmarks.
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 Earlier this year, the city fell short in the hunt for the Stellar Community Grant $4.68 million after being selected as one of the top five candidates for that award.
“We will continue to pursue every opportunity to reduce the burden locally,” Hosier said.
Schuch also presented a tentative timeline for the project. For phase one, bidding would be done in November of December, with construction set to begin in April 2012 and finish in June 2013.
For phase two, bids would be opened in May or June of 2012, construction would begin in October 2012 and finish in October 2013.
The city is one of thousands of municipalities throughout the nation having to complete separations to eliminate combined sewer overflows, which, during periods of heavy rain, empty untreated sewage into waterways.
“We’re one of 107 communities (in Indiana) … under an agreed order to reduce our number of combined sewer overflows,” said city engineer Gene Amlin.
Amlin told council members that the wastewater plant has to be able to settle solids and disinfect volumes brought in during a one-year storm — or about 1.18 inches of rain per hour — and a 10-year storm — about 1.8 inches of rain per hour.
Schuch outlined a long-term plan for the city including completion of the north side project by 2013, an expansion of the wastewater treatment plant by 2017, additional sewer separation in the city by 2021 and finally addition expansion and upgrades for the treatment plant again in 2028.
Upgrades to the treatment plant are being included in the north side project in order for the city to stay in compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit limits.
Schuch said the plant will need repairs to its digester, which breaks down solid waste, and tertiary filters, which filter liquids.
He noted that the existing sewers are adequate for normal flow, but become overwhelmed during heavy rain, leading to overflows. Once separated, the wastewater plant should have sufficient capacity to handle input, even if the population increases or the city annexes new properties into city systems.
Schuch informed the council that the most cost-effective approach to the wastewater plant upgrade will be to repair aging equipment, while for the sewer lines on the north side, a combination approach of adding some new and reusing some existing lines will best suit the city.
“Some basins will have quite a bit of new sewer while some we’ll reuse,” he said.
After the report, council members asked a handful of questions about the project.
Councilman Kent McClung asked if by removing the storm water from the system, if there would be issues at the treatment plant due to a higher concentration of waste coming in.
Schuch said that the amount of waste will be the same, although less diluted, but that it should present no complication at operation of the plant.
Councilman Don Gillespie wanted to know if taking storm water out of the sewage system could potentially create additional flooding, since water from downspouts and sump pumps will now either be discharged into yards, streets or directly into storm drains.
Schuch and Amlin didn’t foresee any additional problems.
“It’s not going to go down to the treatment plant,” Schuch said. “Now you’re going to hopefully have just regular storm water going to the creek.”
“The same amount of water is going to go to the river,” Amlin agreed.
Councilman Bill Gibson wanted to know if residences will be able to tie downspouts and sump pumps directly into storm drains, to which Schuch answered that they could.
In other business Monday night, the city council:
•Heard council member Judy Aker commend the city employee painting curbs throughout the city this summer.
Aker also informed the council that she has heard positive feedback about the playground equipment at Hudson Family Park from city residents.
•Heard thanks from Gillespie that an issue with the crossing lights on city streets had been resolved. Hosier said he had contact with the Indiana Department of Transportation, which fixed the lights.
•Were updated by Hosier about the Steen Addition sewer project.
•Were invited to the Mayor’s Roundtable to be held at John Jay Center for Learning June 16.
•Were reminded by Hosier that the grand opening for Hudson Family Park is June 26.[[In-content Ad]]