04-05-12 Utilities Committee - Laserfiche WebLink

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sets the plan for reducing CSOs and the problems associated with them, including basement backups, neighborhood flooding and river pollution associated with combined sewage overflows. City sewer rates have risen in recent years after many years with no rate increases but not much investment in environmental infrastructure of an aging system either. Typical residential sewer bills rose from about $17 per month in 2005 to $34 per month in 2011. Bills will continue to rise to fund the mandated improvements at about 8% per year, reaching $42 per month by 2013. The rates will rise in South Bend and 800 other CSO communities over the 20 year consent decree implementation period. In this current four -year funding period already approved by the previous Mayor and Common Council, the City will invest another $70 million to complete the $102,193,000 of work projected by the City to meet EPA requirements for Phase 1. In Phase 2 between 2014 and 2031, the City will spend $367.7 million. Mandated features of the long -term control plan include: • Upgrading the capacity of the Wastewater Treatment Plant to 100 million gallons per day, matching the wet - weather capacity of the existing storm - sewer interceptor, the primary sewer line conveying outflow to the wastewater treatment plant. • The addition of new storage tanks, a storage conduit as well as a storage and conveyance mechanism running parallel to the existing interceptor from CSO 6 at Leland Avenue and Riverside Drive to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. • Construction of a storage conduit running parallel to the river from the Howard Park Ice Rink to CSO 25 near Northshore. • Another challenge facing South Bend is to control disinfection to achieve water quality standards at the Michigan State line about 2.6 miles from the City. • The consent decree provides the latitude for the City of South Bend to reduce the size and number of tanks (saving South Bend rate payer's money while accomplishing environmental stewardship objectives) based on the proven success of green infrastructure or CSOnet technology. • Green infrastructure measures are the range of storm -water control measures that use plant and soil systems, permeable pavement or storm - water management to harvest, reuse, store, infiltrate and other means to reduce CSOs and the volume of wet weather requiring storage and treatment. The City of South Bend will spend $150,000 to help restore Bowman Creek aquatic life, on the most environmentally impaired tributaries in the St. Joseph River watershed. The project is a supplemental environmental project (SEP)