City to split sewers from storm water
Expect dust, dirt and detours on Grand Rapids' Southeast Side during the next couple of years -- all to clean up the Grand River.

It's the $53 million "EastSide CSO Control Program" aimed at ending the combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, that dump sewage into the Grand River when the city gets hit with a big rainstorm.

On Tuesday, city commissioners are expected to award the program's first contract -- a $4.3 million project to replace sewers, water mains and pavement along Franklin Street SE between Fuller and Eastern avenues.

The project will replace old sewers that combined storm water with raw sewage and overwhelmed the city's Waste Water Treatment Plant during rain storms, said Rick DeVries, city project engineer.

By separating the storm water and sanitary sewers, the city should eliminate overflows into the Grand River like those that occurred last week, DeVries said.

Combined sewers are typically found in neighborhoods that were developed before 1920, DeVries said. The separation project also will end many of the sewage backups that flood basements.

After last weekend's deluge, city officials said they were forced to dump 151 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the river. Of that, at least 5.6 million gallons were untreated.

And how many gallons are being dumped after this morning's hard rains?

Glad that they are finally doing something about this problem. I would hate to live downstream of Grand Rapids. What good is a river if you can't get in it and enjoy the water?