New Sewage Collection Upgrade Starts

Fairhope, Alabama 

 

Fairhope wastewater plant

 

$10 MILLION GRANT TO STOP SEWAGE SPILLS

The city council selected Dewberry Engineering to oversee the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council's  RESTORE project #25: Phase 1 to upgrade the city of Fairhope's wastewater collection system to reduce spillage (click). 

The $10 million grant using federal environmental fines imposed on BP for its 2010 oil spill was awarded by the AGCRC in March of 2018.

Engineer Andy Bobe said the project includes evaluating 13 problematic lift stations (replacement/repair), inspecting all manholes, and 52K  linear feet of sewer pipe "to determine what needs to be done"; then overseeing the actual construction until completion which could take two years or more.

New side stream storage tanks are to be added as well at some points (for overflow from heavy rain events); and emergency power is to be provided to all lift stations that do not have it now, Bobe said. 

Dewberry's $1.1 million engineering cost is covered by the grant.

(The replacement of the Fels Avenue lift station and (bigger) collection pipes on Fairwood/Bayou Avenues completed earlier this year were funded by the city itself; a similar project on Church Street is yet to begin.)

 

BP RESTORE PROJECT DESCRIPTION

ALABAMA STATE EXPENDITURE PLAN (SEP) Project #25: Fairhope Sewer Upgrade Phase I
Project Description/Summary

a) This project proposes the planning, engineering and design, and implementation of sewer system upgrades in the City of Fairhope. It will address the most urgent needs within the City of Fairhope sewer system by instituting major rehabilitation measures for the complete replacement of 4 main pump stations and rehabilitation of the major gravity outfall lines utilizing cost-effective and environmentally sensitive engineering solutions. The implementation of this project will protect the water quality of Mobile Bay by reducing the frequency of Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO's) that occur within the City of Fairhope’s public sewer system.

Activities also include the comprehensive administration of this grant, including, but not limited to, project development and oversight, contracting, and sub-recipient monitoring.

a. Need: The City of Fairhope, Alabama’s fastest growing city, experienced a 26% population growth in the last five years alone. Currently, the City’s sanitary sewer system functions adequately during normal and dry-weather conditions, but during heavy rain events common to the area, sanitary sewer overflows (SSO’s) occur, dumping untreated sewage into critical waterways. As the system continues to be strained by additional growth, these overflows will increase in the number of locations and amount of sewage discharged from the system, impairing water quality and causing public health and environmental hazards ...