Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Chicago District, Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (IN-1), and Portage Mayor Sue Lynch marked the beginning of a Portage interceptor rehabilitation project.
“The City of Portage is excited to be working on yet another partnership project with the Army Corps of Engineers,” Portage Mayor Sue Lynch said. “Portage values the long standing, working relationship we have had with the Army Corps. We are looking forward to utilizing mainly non-invasive methods on these projects to restore our area sewers. It is our responsibility, as a city, to continue to maintain our infrastructure, and to promote a strong sense of security for our community in order to make Portage a valued place for our citizens and businesses.”
The project extends from Stone Avenue in the south, up to Central Avenue in the north.
“It is great to come together to celebrate the start of this project,” Col. Paul Culberson, USACE Chicago District commander, said. “This groundbreaking marks the beginning of construction to reduce excess flow in the wastewater system due to inflow and infiltration, and reduce the risk of sanitary sewer overflow events adjacent to wetland areas. In total, we have completed three Section 219 projects in Portage, and we look forward to many more.”
The contract was awarded to Grimmer Construction, Inc. of Highland, Indiana, in September 2021, for $1,532,076. Field construction started in March 2022.
The project is authorized under Section 219 of the Water Resources Development Act 1992, as amended by Section 504 of WRDA 1996, Section 502 of WRDA 1999, and by Section 108 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001. Section 219, as amended, allows USACE to provide planning, design, and construction assistance for carrying out water-related environmental infrastructure projects in select areas. Projects under this authority are cost shared at 75 percent federal and 25 percent nonfederal sponsor. This project has been allocated $1,437,500 of federal funding. The nonfederal sponsor, the City of Portage, provided a 25% cash match of $470,833.
“Thank you to Mayor Lynch and all the leaders with the City of Portage and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for your initiative to improve our water infrastructure,” Rep. Frank J. Mrvan said. “Because of your dedicated work, you are building the foundation for more people and businesses to thrive in our region and create more economic opportunities for everyone.”