Toledo investing millions into its sewer system
Used with permission: WTVG-TV 13ABC
The City of Toledo is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into its sewer system in an effort to keep the rivers clean and maybe keep your house from flooding.
Most of the money is aimed at the rivers. For example, the Expanded Bay View Waste Water Treatment Plant is meant to keep the Maumee River healthy, but a side effect may be flood relief.
When a basement floods in Toledo, it can be cause for alarm. Four years ago, a massive, sudden downpour left parts of town under water. The damage and cleanup has left many homeowners skittish every time there’s a heavy rain. But a project approved by voters back in 2002 may actually relieve future flooding.
Parts of Toledo’s storm system connect to its sewer system. So, when it rains and floods, the streets spill over with raw sewage. The EPA calls that a big no-no. So big, the city is spending nearly a half billion dollars to fix the grid. As a bonus, a new drain plan may cut down on flooding.
George Robinson II, commissioner of the Toledo Waterways Initiative, says, “We do hope that, as a tertiary benefit, because of the additional capacity, that there may be some relief in backups. But again, that’s not the primary focus. The primary focus is that this is an environmental project that is mandated by the U.S. EPA.”
Phase one of what’s called the “Toledo Waterways Initiative” was the Bay View Waste Water Treatment Plant. It now has an additional 200 million gallons of water storage and state of the art ways to clean it up.
Phase 2 will be more visible this year. If you live in an older part of Toledo, expect to see workers within your neighborhood. Some with the Waterways Initiative, others focused solely on flooding – a separate project.
Robin Whitney, commissioner of Engineering Services, says “In ’07 and ’08, we had two very large projects on Shanty Creek. We spent over $5 million to widen the creek, reroute it in certain areas, enclose it in pipe in certain areas, to increase the capacity and take care a lot of those surface flooding issues.”
As for those basement backups, those are not considered surface floods. If you call 419-245-1315, an engineer will come out to your house and you may be able to apply for a grant up to $2,000.