BAY VILLAGE, Ohio -- Underground work is nearly completed on the city’s 1.3 million-gallon sewer storage tank being constructed north of Wolf Road, across from Bay Middle School.
Jeff Filarski, an engineer with Chagrin Valley Engineering, recently gave an update on the project to City Council.
Most of the remaining work is above ground, including installation of the pump station and its integration into the underground storage system, Filarski said Dec. 1.
It will involve electrical work and installation of instruments and controls.
The system is expected to be operational by May.
The equalization tank (EQ) project was initially expected to be completed late this year, but it ran into some delays.
During its Dec. 1 meeting, City Council agreed to increase the payment to Independence Excavating Inc., which is carrying out the construction, from about $8.6 million to a little over $8.8 million.
The project, to store stormwater runoff entering the sanitary sewers during rainstorms, will be substantially completed by the end of March.
The system should be fully tested and operational by the beginning of May, Filarski said.
Chagrin Valley Engineering is overseeing the installation of the water storage system under Cahoon Memorial Park on behalf of the city.
Once completed, the city will comply with U.S. EPA orders to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) that discharge into Lake Erie.
The underground storage tanks will also help reduce sewer overloads that can result in basement flooding for residents.
“We’re under orders from the U.S. EPA to eliminate separate sanitary sewer overflows going to Lake Erie,” Filarski told council and members of the public attending the meeting.
The city has eliminated seven sewer overflows that discharged into Lake Erie.
However, one overflow remains near the intersection of Glen Park Drive and Lake Road, which must remain operational until the underground storage tank goes online.
“If we shut that overflow off like the EPA wants us to, the water’s got to go somewhere,” Filarski said.
“Rather than going into basements, we put in 1.3 million gallons of storage, and the flow will get diverted off of Wolf Road, right near Cahoon.
“There’s a gate that will close automatically when the (sewer) levels go up, and it’s going to push the water into that pump station, which will pump into the tank, which is an array of about eight or 10 rows of 10-foot diameter pipe about 380 feet long.
“We will fill those things up.”
Once a storm ends and the sewer levels return to normal, the water from the holding tank will return slowly to the sewer system and be sent to the Rocky River wastewater treatment plant.
The project, at $8.8 million, came in far below estimates from February 2024 when the city thought it could cost $19.1 million to build, Filarski said.
The initial plans called for the city to build a large concrete vault under Cahoon Park to store the water. However, escalating concrete prices by 2024 caused the project’s price tag to surge.
That prompted the city to pivot and install large high-density polypropylene (HDPE) pipes in which to store the sewage water -- at a significant cost savings compared to a concrete vault.
“One thing I might want to note is that the HDPE option that was used has a useful life that’s significantly longer than concrete -- I think about double,” Mayor Paul Koomar said.
Filarski confirmed that the anticipated lifespan of the HDPE storage tank is about 100 years, as compared to 50 years for a concrete vault.
“Luckily, we found that other alternative product that was out there,” Filarski said.
The project should be “substantially completed” by the end of March, Filarski said.
“Then, we’ll need at least a month to commission it, put it through its paces and make sure the systems talk to each other and work,” Filarski said.
“That’s why we’re looking at the beginning of May as far as being operational.”
Meanwhile, the city is also testing sanitary sewers throughout the city to eliminate stormwater infiltration.
The city has been smoke- and dye-testing sewer lines on public property and going up the lateral lines to residents’ homes.
The city has pinpointed leaks in the mains and relined the sewers where needed to prevent infiltration.
It has also worked with residents to carry out repairs on their property.
Testing is taking place in phases, and by the end of 2026, testing will be completed in about 36 percent of the city.
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