Town of Speedway, Indiana

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Sewers and You: The Town of Speedway Plan

The Town of Speedway (Town) is moving forward with planned improvements of its sewer system to meet water quality standards and provide relief from neighborhood flooding issues.  The Town's Storm Water Management Board (SWMB) and the Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC) are meeting to review plans to eliminate or greatly reduce raw sewage overflows to Eagle Creek and address aging conditions at the wastewater treatment plant.

 

As part of a federal and state mandate, the Town must complete and implement $31.3 million in sewer system improvements, including urgent repairs to the wastewater treatment plant. Permit requirements and an Agreed Order with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management require Speedway to correct these issues by 2012. Non-compliance will result in major fines and penalties.

  

After evaluating various alternatives and costs, the Town is finalizing plans to separate sewers, repair the wastewater treatment plant and virtually eliminate raw sewage overflows to Eagle Creek. The plan includes the following projects:

 

• Installing new pumps and a disinfection system, upgrading grit removal and oxygen system equipment, as well as the solids handling process, and making other wastewater treatment plant improvements necessary to meet legal requirements
• Separating sewers in the Gerrard and Allison project area to eliminate sewer back-ups and address long-standing neighborhood flooding issues
• Separating sewers in the Old Speedway neighborhood by building new storm sewers and converting existing sewers to sanitary sewers
• Replacing an existing 72-inch combined sewer under Main Street with a new 66-inch sewer, which will continue to handle only sanitary flows and a decreasing amount of storm flow as the town's sewers are separated, as well as construction of a new 54-inch storm sewer
• Building an additional 1 million gallon storage facility at the wastewater treatment plant

 

The Town has identified two projects as early action projects: the separation of sewers in the Gerrard and Allison neighborhood, and Main Street sewer upgrades. Work on these projects will begin before the end of the year.

 

While the town is aggressively pursuing state and federal grants and low-interest loans to keep costs down, ratepayers will pay for the bulk of these improvements. A rate increase will be proposed to the Speedway Town Council to pay off these bonds over time. Under the proposal, the average ratepayer's sewer bill (5,000 gallons per month) would increase in January 2010 from $14.20 per month to $18.90 - an increase of $4.70 per month.  A second rate increase of $7.35 per month for the average user will also be needed, with the timing to be determined

 

According to a recent utility rate study, the Town's sewer rates are the lowest among more than 25 communities surveyed.  (See attached graph).

 

When the Town's first sewers were built in the early 1900s, the pipes were combined, designed to carry both stormwater and sewage from homes and businesses. During dry weather, sewage flows safely through the sewers to the wastewater treatment plant. However, approximately 50 to 60 times a year, the sewers are overwhelmed by incoming rainwater or melting snow, causing untreated sewage to overflow into Eagle Creek. Of the 72 miles of sewers located in the Town, 15 percent are combined.

 

 

 

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