Dunkirk utility plan is approved

The plan is in place.

At its meeting Monday, Dunkirk City Council accepted a utility master plan that has been in the works for several years.

Council also discussed a recent camera purchase for the city’s wastewater department, culminating in some tense words between a council member and the mayor.  

Beam, Longest and Neff of Indianapolis presented the city’s utility master plan, which was officially started in January, for a public hearing. After spending several months surveying the city’s water, wastewater and stormwater systems, the engineering firm came up with several recommendations for improving the utilities.

Beam, Longest and Neff’s overall suggestions included creating a stormwater utility charge to help maintain the storm sewer system, committing to updating the master plan frequently and forming an asset management plan for all three of the city’s utilities.

Specific suggestions included:

•Clearing blockages and repairing or replacing pipes in the stormwater system that are contributing to flooding problems in the city. The company recommended regularly inspecting the pipes for damage and possibly building retention ponds. Alternatives including constructing ditches to collect stormwater, which would cost less but not treat the underlying problem; replacing all undersized storm sewers; or a hybrid plan to install some ditches and replace only the sewers in the worst condition.

•Installing a 500,000-gallon storage tank for the city’s water utility, which currently has a 300,000-gallon tank. The city’s average daily usage is 281,000 gallons. BLN also suggested replacing several water mains and looping dead-end mains back into the city.

•Further testing of the city’s wastewater system to identify inflow and infiltration problems that were found in several sewers. Lines may need to be repaired or replaced.

Chris Kaufman of Beam, Longest and Neff told council that there were no immediate health and safety hazards that the city needed to address.