| Saying it should save the City of Akron millions of dollars, Mayor Don Plusquellic has announced new plans for the next construction project aimed at abating sewer overflow during heavy storms.
Consistent with the outline of the planned solution announced four years ago, this is the next step in the City’s long-range strategy to construct the water quality projects delineated in the plan negotiated with the Ohio EPA but yet to be approved by the U.S. EPA.
Plusquellic said that by building in the right-of-way, parallel to the canal, the City will save the money and the “aggravation” of tearing up West Exchange Street. The new path is also a shorter way of getting the waste to the Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Merriman Valley, thus potentially saving even more money.
The mayor said the $15.8 million project will also continue to show the federal government Akron’s good-faith effort towards solving the CSO problem, a problem facing many mid-sized and large American cities that constructed wastewater management systems when combined sewers were believed to be the proper method for handling wastewater.
“This show of good faith,” said Plusquellic “can help us avoid a costly lawsuit, the likes of which many American cities are facing right now from the federal government.”
Plusquellic added, “This will make future development along the canal certainly more attractive.” “The underground changes will be out of the way, removing any uncertainty for those interested in building there.”
Public Utilities Manager Mike McGlinchy sees another benefit, saying, “With the conduit and new screening system we’ll be installing, the aesthetics of the canal downtown will greatly improve.” The project, he said, is set to begin late next year or early 2008 depending upon the level of federal funding.
Funding for this phase of what is federally-mandated work will come from a separate fund to be established for the sole purpose of paying for the extensive sewer work, which is ordered by the federal and state governments at an estimated total cost of $370 million. The City will apply, as it did with the first CSO construction work---that, on Rack 40 (set for completion later this year) ---for funding from the state and federal governments.
The remainder will be funded from a proposed 7% rate increase, the mayor will be submitting to Akron City Council at tonight’s meeting. The average family of four would see an increase of up to two dollars per month. A single senior citizen or other households using limited amounts of water will pay roughly a dollar twenty-five more.
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