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WINONA LAKE - Inspection to identify the town's connections to sanitary sewers will begin this week.
The house-to-house surveys that were sent out earlier this month were requested to be returned to the council by Aug. 11.
The survey and inspection are part of a study on the sewer system in order to find a feasible way to treat the wastewater.
According to Marty Wessler of Wessler and Associates, the study is funded by a $25,000 grant from the State Revolving Fund, an annual fund by the Environmental Protection Agency. The SRF gives cities in Indiana low interest loans for construction.
Wessler reported in January the town had received the grant. According to Wessler, the three main issues being studied are rainwater getting into the sewer systems; replacing septic tanks and putting residents on the sewer system; and deciding whether it would be more beneficial for Winona Lake to build its own wastewater treatment facility.
Wessler said Winona Lake's wastewater treatment is now taken care of by Warsaw. The contract between Winona Lake and Warsaw expired in 1998 but the two towns have mutually agreed to extend the contract from year to year.
The inspection will cover manholes, lift stations and flow monitoring, which will involve flow meters in sewers to measure which areas are getting the most rainwater. The project will compare the cost effectiveness of supporting the Warsaw treatment plant or building one for Winona Lake.
There is also consideration of extending service to Southtown Estates, according to Wessler. Southtown has no sanitary sewers and has 330 homes on septic tanks. Winona Lake is looking for a feasible way to service Southtown.
The project also includes analyzing flow for the next 20 years., said Wessler. This will involve taking the growth of the area and the population rate to anticipate what the water flow will be and whether that would require building a treatment plant.
Wessler said a public hearing will be announced in late September at the earliest to inform the public what is going on and to get feedback.
