Politics & Government
Dearborn to Begin Sewer Separation Construction in January 2012
The projects, discussed Tuesday evening at a public meeting, are expected to cut costs and help reduce basement flooding, but will cause temporary traffic disruptions for residents.
A public hearing was held Tuesday night at to inform residents about the next six stages of construction for the city’s sewer separation projects.
In addition to giving background information on the history of the CSO projects, information was handed out detailing when the sewer separation construction will take place, how it will affect residents, how much it will cost and where the funding is coming from.
In 2002, the city began building deep-sinking caissons to be used for sewer water capture and treatment in an effort to meet new federal water quality mandates while continuing regional efforts to clean up water flowing into the Rouge River.
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But as construction of the CSO caissons proved to be more costly and difficult than anticipated, the city conducted a study, from which they concluded that constructing new, separated storm and sewer lines throughout parts of the city was the most cost-effective way to maintain sewer control.
According to documents provided by the city, Dearborn has completed full or partial sewer separation on 841 acres of the city, eliminating five combined sewer overflows.
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The upcoming projects will target six areas of the city for sewer separation, with construction scheduled to begin in January 2012. Each project is expected to take anywhere from 20-48 months, resulting in a 15-year target completion date.
- Construction on the area bound by Telegraph Road, Cherry Hill, Martha Street and the Rouge River will begin January 2012, with an expected construction duration of 20 months. The estimated cost is $12.05 million.
- Construction on the area bound by Telegraph Road, Wilson Street, Martha Street and Cherry Hill will begin January 2014, with an expected construction duration of 20 months. The estimated cost is $14.045 million.
- Construction on the area bound by Telegraph Road, Dartmouth Street, Westwood Street and Princeton Street will begin January 2016, with an expected construction duration of 36 months. The estimated cost is $19.825 million.
- Construction on the area bound by Telegraph Road, Princeton, Westwood and the Rouge River will begin January 2019, with an expected construction duration of 36 months. The estimated cost is $18.385 million.
- Construction on the area bound by Telegraph Road, Gulley Road, Cherry Hill and the Rouge River will begin January 2022, with an expected construction duration of 48 months. The estimated cost is $23.255 million.
- Construction on the area bound by Warren Avenue, Chase Road, Greenfield and Michigan Avenue will begin January 2016, with an expected construction duration of 24 months. The estimated cost is $10.353 million.
During construction, said City Engineer Yunus Patel, the targeted areas will be disrupted. But the inconvenience is temporary, he added, and will save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual operational costs related to maintenance of the CSO caissons.
“Traffic is restricted, there will be dust, dirt, but that can be controlled,” Patel said. “But once we are done, we are done. We won’t come back for at least 30 years.”
The result will be new storm and sewer lines for those areas, as well as repaved streets. And the separation will allow the city to better prevent basement flooding during heavy rainfall.
Funding for the projects, explained city Finance Director Jim O’Connor, will come from a variety of sources, including small amounts from local and major street funds, as well as millions of dollars from the city’s water and sewer fund, and low-interest loans funded by tax millage debts.
Funding for later sewer separation projects, however, is not guaranteed, and is based on current projections for revenue and costs, which are likely to change.
When construction begins on the sewer separation projects, residents of the affected areas will be notified in person and by public meetings about traffic disruptions, water shutoffs and other issues pertaining to the projects.
The proposed projects will be submitted to City Council this week for an approval vote to be held Monday at noon at City Hall. That meeting is also open to the public.
