MAUMEE, Ohio —
The Elizabeth Street Pumping Station in uptown Maumee is about to get a serious upgrade.
Maumee's Capital projects manager, Matthew Miles, said that the $1.2 million dollar project will deliver new pumps, safer spaces for employees, and a valuable new tool.
"There is remote monitoring. So what that allows is, basically, early warning that there is some kind of problem with the pump itself. Either it's unable to keep up, or it's become plugged," Miles said.
But Miles said this upgrade isn't a direct response to Maumee's ongoing raw sewage overflow issues. Rather, the station is just old, It's pumped sewage for the residents of Harrison Street for some 70 years and was in need of improvements.
Miles says the upgrade will allow the city to better understand its sewage problems. "It will give us the nice ability to monitor the flows. We'll certainly get data to be able to analyze from the new station but it won't do anything to mitigate the situation."
Solving the sewer overflow issue is a more daunting task. The overflows are caused by storm water leaking into the sewage lines, and Miles said that they're starting the process of re-lining them to avoid future overflows.
The first part of the project, a $600,000 investment, is expected to start in the next 30 days. But Miles warns it's only the beginning of the work that must be done.
"Overall it will cover a pretty small portion of the system, so it will take many of these projects," Miles said.
He estimates that it could be in excess of 50 projects to truly solve the issue, which could cost in the neighborhood of $30,000,000, split between state and city funds.
But pumping stations like the one on Elizabeth Street, with it's new monitoring equipment, will help determine the exact price tag.