The City of Pierre will use a large chunk of its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to repair and preserve a major underground utility line; work will start this week.
More than $492,000 of the City’s $2.4 million allotted by ARPA will be used to line 660 feet of a large storm sewer that runs under most of River Road on the west side of Pierre.
According to John Childs, City Engineer, the storm sewer is essential for keeping water off of city streets and mitigating erosion and property damage.
“This storm sewer is what conveys the water drainage from as far north and east as Highway 1804. It takes the runoff to Whiskey Gulch and eventually into the river,” said Childs.
Child says that at 60 inches, it’s a large storm sewer pipe that can carry an incredible amount of water runoff.
The storm sewer line is about 45 years old. To rehabilitation the pipe, the City has awarded Subsurface Inc., the lowest responsible bidder, the contract to clean the pipe and install a cured-in-place fiberglass epoxy liner. The liner is expected to extend the life of the storm sewer for 50 or more years.
Subsurface Inc., is expected to begin cleaning the line on Thursday, Oct. 21 and complete the project by the end of the month.
“This is a big deal for our community,” said Childs. “No one thinks too much about storm water drainage until there’s a problem. This project is intended to get in front of any major runoff issues.”
The City Commission is considering other large underground utility repairs for the remainder of its federal COVID allotment.