Work set to start on Lakeside Park-area sewer-separation project
The work will be done in two phases and will protect homes and the Maumee River.
By Kevin Kilbane | News-Sentinel
The massing of construction equipment around Lakeside Park means work is ready to begin on a $3.2 million sewer-separation project in that area that will protect 221 homes from sewer backups and eliminate 10.1 million gallons of combined sewer overflows into the Maumee River, the city said.
The project is part of City Utilities' continuing efforts to protect neighborhoods and Fort Wayne's three rivers, said Frank Suarez, spokesman for City Utilities and the Board of Public Works.
The first phase of the work is scheduled for completion by mid-May; the second phase will be done in late August, Suarez said. Iron Clad Excavating is the contractor doing the work.
The project will involve installing new storm sewer pipelines to keep rain water out of sanitary sewers, as well as installing a pump station, Suarez said. During heavy rains, the current combined storm and sanitary sewers sometimes can't accommodate all of the water and some untreated sewage is discharged directly into the Maumee River.
In November, City Utilities asked for and received approval from the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department's board of park commissioners to have the new stormwater pipelines discharge into the ponds at Lakeside Park. Park board members asked for and received assurances from City Utilities officials that the new stormwater system will prevent trash, oil, fertilizer and other contaminants from washing into the park's ponds during rains.
