The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (IN-1), and Portage Mayor Sue Lynch held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the end of a sewer interceptor rehabilitation project.
Portage Mayor Sue Lynch emphasized the importance of the project. “This project is vital to maintaining our city’s infrastructure as it will promote a strong sense of security for our residents and businesses as our city continues to grow, now and in the future.”
The completed project will 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. The project extends from Stone Avenue in the south up to Central Avenue in the north.
“The key to success of any of these projects is your partnerships,” LTC Matthew Broderick, USACE Chicago District Deputy Commander, said. “Projects like this one take a team effort. And this team has included not only the Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Portage, but also the efforts of Congressman Mrvan and his staff. It has been our privilege to be a part of that team.”
“I am grateful to join Mayor Sue Lynch and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Portage to celebrate the finalization of this sewer rehabilitation project, which will reduce the risk of sanitary sewer overflow events near wetland areas,” Rep. Frank Mrvan, on hand to celebrate the completion of the project said. “I will continue to advocate for investments in Northwest Indiana infrastructure to create more good-paying job opportunities and also improve our quality of life.”
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.