Upgrades needed

Redkey has a potential plan for how to address its Indiana Department of Environmental Management violations. It would involve major upgrades to the town’s utilities.

Whether the town will be able to follow through will largely depend on if it can secure grants or other funding.

Redkey Town Council approved its master utility plan Monday. 

It calls for the town to consider the following: an $8.4 million project for replacing wastewater lines, a roughly $2.8 million project to make water system improvements, a stormwater utility fee for residents and an approximately $2.8 million project for installing new stormwater systems. 

In February 2023, council approved a $90,000 contract with Choice One Engineering to conduct a master utility study for the town.

Choice One Engineering inspected Redkey’s water, wastewater and stormwater utilities in the last year and put together a plan for how to combat ongoing issues. Engineer Ryan Lefeld walked council members through the company’s research and planning Monday.

Redkey’s most pressing needs, explained Lefeld, rest within its wastewater utilities.

One concern is the amount of water overloading the wastewater plant’s system.

Redkey made significant upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant along with its mandated sewer separation project that started in 2017 and finished two years later. Combined wastewater and stormwater lines had been flooding town, leading to untreated sewage overflowing into Redkey Run. IDEM had sent multiple notices of noncompliance to the town, but it wasn’t until the town secured a $3.9 million grant and $3.8 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture in 2014 that it was able to begin planning the project. The wastewater treatment plant underwent extensive renovations at that time, getting new equipment, utility overhauls and a general facelift. 

Redkey still owes just under about $3.3 million on its 40-year loan for wastewater treatment plant upgrades and the sewer separation project. It also owes $1.1 million for constructing the town’s 20-year-old water tower.

Lefeld explained the wastewater treatment plant is designed to process about 300,000 gallons per day. During dry weather, the facility services about 127,000 gallons on average daily. However, amid rainy conditions, the plant has seen up to 820,000 gallons.

The main cause of the problem has been stormwater runoff entering downspouts, sump drains, catch basins and other entry points into the wastewater system.

“That’s one thing that we really, really, really want to get down — 2.3 times your normal flow is a bad sign,” Lefeld said.

For that reason, Lefeld said, the town’s existing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are still operating.

The town has been in violation with Indiana Department of Environmental Management regulations for a CSO that starts near Union Street and another CSO that originates in a rural part of the county just north of town and lets out near Main and George streets. Redkey has until December to update its long-term control plan for addressing the CSOs.

Out of the nine wastewater system areas Choice One Engineering tested, four of them were determined to be in poor condition. The testing measured water inflow in those areas to be seven to 23 times higher during rainy weather.

“That’s a lot of clear water entering into your system,” noted Lefeld.

Choice One Engineering proposed Redkey make improvements to four service areas, including collection systems on George Street and Bell Avenue, Central Park Avenue, Sherman Street and Oak and Boyce streets. Estimated at $8.4 million, the project would replace about 60% of the town’s existing system.

Lefeld also talked about needs for the town’s water utilities.

Regarding the distribution system, he noted several water mains — about 8,000 feet (15% of the system) — were replaced with PVC pipes in 2003. The town has about 51,000 feet of water mains.

Lefeld pointed out the town’s older parts of the system are starting to deteriorate.

“Your normal 6-inch main now might be a 4-inch main, so that’s where some of your distribution issues come from,” he explained.

Likewise, the system also experiences an average of two breaks a year. He pointed out a water main along Spencer Street that has been repaired about 15 times.

The loss of water as a result of these issues leads to a loss in revenue. A water loss audit performed for the 2021 reporting year measured the town’s water loss at about 26%. Lefeld noted typically communities aim to keep that percentage under 15%.

Investing in a four-step project — it involves replacing mains on Spencer Street from Meridian to Vine streets, on Vine Street from Meridian to Sycamore streets, on Bell Avenue from Harrison to Delaware streets and on Main Street from Harrison to Delaware streets — would cost the town upward of $2 million.

Concerns have also been raised about dead-end mains in various parts of the town. Choice One Engineering also proposed looping the system, which would help improve flow throughout the community. That project is expected to cost approximately $814,725.

Also, Lefeld talked about stormwater collection and residents’ concerns regarding flooding. Choice One Engineering suggested Redkey could implement a stormwater utility fee to pay for improvements to the system. Those improvements could include installing new systems along Spencer, High, George and Main streets and Bell Avenue for an estimated overall cost at more than $2.8 million. (Most grant applications for such improvements require the municipality have a stormwater utility fee in place.)

Choice One Engineering will aid Redkey in its pursuit of additional grant funding to make improvements to the town’s utilities. Hopes are to secure a grant or loan to make upgrades possible. 

For now, the town will send its approved master utility plan to Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to finish out the water infrastructure planning grant.