West Lafayette is updating its long term control plan to reduce the amount of raw sewage that flows into the Wabash River during heavy rain.
City officials looked at several alternatives for controlling Combined Sewer Overflows before deciding on a plan that consists of four projects at a total cost of 24-and-a-half-million dollars.
The Board of Works will consider adopting the document at its meeting next week.
Waste Water Utility director Dave Henderson says state statute requires the city to complete the projects in its long-term control plan by 2027.
He says sewer rate hikes will eventually be needed to help fund the work, but those increases are not imminent.
Henderson says currently the city’s sewers can only handle a quarter-inch of rain in an hour before overflowing into the Wabash.
He says the goal is to be able to handle up to two inches per hour.