NEWS |
Fort Wayne’s Newly Constructed Warfield Relief Sewer Reduces Overflows
11/09/2011 - Indianapolis, Indiana --
FORT WAYNE, IND.—In recent years, when Fort Wayne, Indiana’s southern sewer system became overloaded with sewage and rain water, manhole lids were literally blowing off. To eliminate or minimize such overflows, the City of Fort Wayne’s City Utilities Division recently completed the construction of the Warfield Relief Sewer with assistance from the Environmental Engineering Group at American Structurepoint, Inc., a Midwest-based engineering and design firm that provided engineering services for the design of this new 30-inch diameter relief sewer, capable of carrying up to 17 million gallons of sewage per day.
The project presented several challenges, including determining the route of the 6,000-linear foot relief sewer. Fort Wayne City Utilities completed flow monitoring and developed a computer model to initially determine the relief sewer size and how it would be connected to the existing sewer system. However, after further field investigation completed early in the design process it was determined that the original route selected during the planning phase would encounter several constructability issues. American Structurepoint worked with the City Utilities to make significant improvements to the route while still providing the necessary relief points. In addition, the design included several innovative components such as multiple conflict and diversion structures and two triple-barrel siphon structures to transmit sewage flow under an existing creek. The design also included significant site regrading, deep sewer construction and installation of approximately 300 linear feet of 48-inch steel casing under US 27. The cost of the improvements was approximately $1.8 million.
Although the project required design changes to accommodate existing infrastructure and utilities, American Structurepoint was able to deliver the final design on time and under budget. In addition to preparing the design, the company also assisted City Utilities with review of product submittals and construction questions.
Construction of the Warfield Relief sewer is an integral part of Fort Wayne’s EPA-approved consent decree aimed at reducing sewer overflows.
