Jefferson County commissioners held a public hearing Oct. 2 on the Telegraph Hill–Rikers Ridge Sewer Improvement Project and approved a reallocation of county ARPA funds to cover project engineering costs.

County staff said Jefferson County, in cooperation with the Telegraph Hill–Rikers Ridge Sewer District, plans to submit a grant application to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) for funding from the state’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) wastewater/drinking-water program. The final application is due Dec. 19.

Midwestern consultant Tony Wood told commissioners Midwestern’s evaluation showed the district’s system is approaching the end of the useful life for multiple components and that repairs and targeted upgrades would improve hydraulic performance and reduce overflows. “Based on Midwestern’s evaluation, this evaluation is in the best interest of the utility and also for the customers,” Wood said, stressing pump-station rehabilitation and the addition of air-relief valves to address hydraulic deficiencies and groundwater infiltration. He also noted that uncontrolled overflows must be reported to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and can lead to enforcement actions if not addressed.

Gary Moss, representing the Rikers Ridge/Telegraph Hill Sewer District, told the commissioners the full project cost is about $2.2 million and that the county plans to seek $750,000 from OCRA. Moss asked the board to allow $30,000 of an earlier county allocation of $175,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to be used for engineering expenses incurred advancing the project. "I'm here to request a $30,000 reallocation from that previously granted amount to help us cover the engineering costs that we've incurred to move this project forward," Moss said.

A commissioner moved and a second was made to permit the reallocation; the motion carried. (Motion mover and seconder were not identified by name in the hearing record.)

County staff said another public hearing will be held before the final application is submitted. Staff also said that, if the OCRA grant is awarded, the district anticipates a sewer rate increase to cover remaining costs; the precise amount was discussed during the hearing but was not stated consistently and therefore was not specified by staff.

The project scope described at the hearing includes rehabilitation of grinder pumps for a low-pressure collection system, installation of air-relief valves and flush connections, upgrades to lift stations No. 1 and 4, and replacement/relocation and new construction for Lift Station No. 2, identified by Midwestern as the district’s most problematic station.

Wood described typical pump-station replacement and rehabilitation costs for utilities of this size and said proactive rehabs and targeted fixes typically give “the best bang for its buck” while reducing the risk of overflows and later consent orders from the state.

The board will host a subsequent public hearing before the application is finalized; staff said the county will file the application by Dec. 19.