FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – National Water Week is a week that recognizes the value of water and what is going on in the water industry.  A number of people are meeting with legislators in Washington this week to look at infrastructure investment and how to continue that in the future.

Years of investments in Fort Wayne’s infrastructure to protect the St. Joe River from Combined Sewer Overflows are proving to be successful.

In 2008 the city entered an agreement with the Federal Government to reduce the number of overflow events on the St. Joe River from 13 times per year to no more than one time per year.

The city is under a Consent Decree, which is a court order to significantly reduce the number of combined sewer overflows going through the city’s rivers.

City Utilities has announced that they are ahead of schedule with their projects which will allow them time to adjust and tweak the improvements.  City spokesman Frank Suarez says “Over the last 23 months we’ve had zero overflows so we’re really pleased with the success we’ve been having”

City Utilities has completed more than $12 million in investments and projects to protect the St. Joe River and the surrounding neighborhoods in 2015.  Those projects included sewer separation through construction of new storm sewer systems, increased capacity with the addition of a new truck line sewer, diversion structures to help route rain water runoff and green infrastructure.

With the completion of the projects, 16 million gallons of combined sewage were kept out of the St. Joe River and around 500 homes were saved from street flooding and basement backups.

Projects include:

• Kirkwood Park Sewer Separation (new storm sewers)
• Penn Avenue Sewer Separation (removal of storm water runoff sewer along Penn Ave.)
• Woodrow Vance Sewer Separation Phase I, II and III (removal of storm water runoff from sewers in the Northside Neighborhood)
• St. Joe Relief Sewer (picks up wastewater, rain water and snow melt from combined sewer overflow outfalls with an improvement to capture floating objects)
• St. Joe Relief Sewer Connections (smaller relief sewers, minor piping and changes to three outfalls)
• St. Joe Diversion Structure (construction of relief sewer to connect with new wet weather pump)
• Additional Inflatables Control (keeps trash and other debris from the river)

In 1995 a Sewer Task Force was put together by City Utilities.  The Task Force contained residents from neighborhoods across the city to study, provide input and assist in implementing compliance efforts.

David Kohli, a neighborhood leader and a member of the Sewer advisory group, says he is really excited about the recreational use of the rivers improving. “I’m really glad with the water quality improving we can get people out here boating and enjoying the rivers.”

Anne Marie Smrchek, a Professional Engineer and City Utilities Manager of Stormwater and Sanitary Engineering says this isn’t the last of the projects, we still have more to go. ” We have our tunnel program going on, we have other sewer projects to implement and we’re really looking for to those and the successes that they will bring on the St. Marys and Maumee Rivers.