VALPARAISO | Horseprairie Avenue is open again, but sewer repair work is not over. It's just going into a whole new funding dimension.
When the area around Horseprairie and U.S. 30 collapsed in early March because of a leaky manhole, the city's sewer department estimated repairs would take a week at a cost of $75,000 to $150,000. It now appears the final tab will be closer to $500,000.
What was thought to be a fairly simple project got complicated when a company was hired to remove the water from the surrounding soil to get to the manhole, and sewer service had to be rerouted around the site. Two major south side sewer lines fed into the spot that could not just be shut off until repairs were done.
When the sewer line was finally accessed, it was found to be badly corroded from hydrogen sulfide gas, which had caused corrosion of the manhole and is common in such situations. The pipe was supposed to be plastic, which is corrosion resistant, but it was iron.
Both the manhole and the 350 feet of pipe north of U.S. 30 were lined with a plastic sleeve that will preserve them for many years and is much cheaper than replacing them. All that work on the north side of U.S. 30, including the dewatering and the sewer bypass, cost $375,542.
But that's not the end of it.
The line under U.S. 30 to the manhole on the south leg of Horseprairie also was found to be damaged and will have to be similarly lined. Although that section is not as badly damaged as the line on the north side, Utility Director John Hardwick told the city's Utilities Board on Tuesday that it should be replaced this year.
The cost of that repair was estimated by water reclamation plant Manager Steve Poulos at between $120,000 and $125,000. The project is complicated because it could require bypassing four sewer lines that converge at that south manhole. Poulos said a plan is still being developed.
Then they have to develop a way to pay for it all. Hardwick said funds have been taken from the sewer operating fund so far, but the department can't afford a $500,000 hit to the operating budget. To recoup the cash, the department will ask the council for permission to use money in the cumulative sewer fund.
Money in that fund comes from a portion of the sewer permit fee, and city Clerk-Treasurer Sharon Swihart said the fund now has about $1.2 million in it. Poulos said the department probably will seek the council's permission at the May 12 meeting.
