Major Sewer Construction Requires Tree Removal
Removal Begins Tomorrow. New Trees Will Be Planted When Construction Is Complete.
Project is Part of the Toledo Waterways Initiative
Toledo, Ohio – Crews from the City of Toledo’s Parks and Forestry Division are expected to begin removing trees tomorrow (Saturday, October 15) in Ottawa Park and along Parkside Boulevard and Avondale Avenue in Toledo’s Westmoreland Neighborhood.
The work is in preparation for a major, multimillion dollar project beginning in 2012 to eliminate a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) along the Ottawa River. The SSO’s elimination is part of the federally mandated Toledo Waterways Initiative (TWI), established by a consent decree signed by Toledo and the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies in 2002.
“We regret having to remove trees from this stately area, but the extent of the work requires their removal,” said Robin Whitney, Commissioner of Engineering Services in Toledo’s Department of Public Utilities, which is administering the project.
“Keeping impacts on residents to a minimum is a top priority,” she said, “and the end result should be improved water quality and sewer service in this vital area of Toledo.”
The TWI program was developed to reduce pollution of area waterways, including the Maumee and Ottawa Rivers and Swan Creek. The pollution typically occurs during extreme wet weather. The reduction will be accomplished by eliminating bypasses of untreated wastewater at the City’s Bay View WWTP; eliminating overflows from sanitary sewers (SSOs) into area