South Bend sewer plan costing taxpayers millions

Every year, the city dumps millions of gallons of sewage into the St. Joseph River; but city officials are trying to change that.

It's apart of a two-phased plan to have cleaner water and air in South Bend.

"The river has always been a great resource for the city but the way it has been a resource has changed over time," says Director of Public Works Eric Horvath. "Before it was industrial and was a place to dump your waste...Now it's totally different. It's an aesthetic quality that promotes economic development. It's a place that people want to live on the river because it looks nice. They want to put businesses there."

The cost to reduce dumping is massive -- $600 million dollars. Those who pay water bills in South Bend will be paying for it.

"We're trying to create a plan that cleans the river but does so at the least impact to our rate payers," says Horvath.

Every year, the city dumps sewage waste into the river about 60-70 times, totaling 500 million gallons. But it is trying to reduce that number to 4.

"We're trying to minimize the impact the number of times that occurs," says Horvath.

The city developed an initial plan but because of the cost, they went back to the drawing board.

"We're finding a solution to get this done in the same way in terms of the amount of sewage going into the river, but for much less money," says Horvath.

One way the city monitors sewage pipes is through smart-technology. A large portion of the sewage system is equipped with sensors that alert officials how full the pipes are.

During periods of heavy rain, that's when the amount of sewage exceeds what the system can take. The sewage bypasses the water treatment plant and goes straight for the river.

The city hired Denver-based MWH-Global for $2 million to find cost-effective solutions to the sewer plan. The city is hoping to shave $100-$200 million off the initial $600 million plan.

South Bend is one of dozens of cities across Indiana transitioning their sewer systems to comply with the federal mandate. It could still be a few years before water customers in South Bend will see a hike on their water bill.