Work being ordered by the U.S. EPA to repair and maintain the city’s aging sewer infrastructure the associated costs to do so topped the Decatur City Council agenda Monday night.
Members during a Monday study session heard an update on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Consent Order and associated study detailing plans for going forward with proposed repairs and future alternatives to avoid the overflow and back up of sanitary sewers. The plan involves more than $42 million worth of projects in targeted areas to begin between now and 2027 outlining a bare minimum cost and level of work to hopefully obtain EPA compliance, and ss part of the plan the city would:
- Increase sewer cleaning and de-rooting
- Increase Sewer Engineering
- Reduce Basement Backups
- Eliminate Inflow Connections
- Provide Flow Monitoring to determine system capacity
The plan as presented, if approved by the EPA, would also necessitate the addition of 4 additional workers and the purchase of a jet Vactor truck with the additional employees being less costly than having the work contracted.
In other business council approved the annexation and rezoning of a parcel at 3718 E. Mound Road which will accommodate a new Aramark warehouse and distribution facility and approved the purchase of mass transit software that will modernize paratransit trip scheduling.
Contact Billy Tyus at 217-424-2727 for more information.
