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Terre Haute’s CSO problem started many years ago, and it will take years to fix. The city’s Long-Term Control Plan was developed to help reduce these overflows.
For more information, click on the links below:
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The City of Terre Haute has developed a long-term control plan to capture overflows from the city’s combined sewer system for most storm events. This plan will significantly reduce the number of days that do not meet water quality standards by reducing the levels of harmful bacteria present in the Wabash River. The plan selected will:
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Wabash River viewed from Fairbanks Park. |
These improvements will allow the city to store 4.0 million gallons of stormwater and wastewater during storm events, which will then be conveyed to the wastewater treatment plant when capacity becomes available.
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Terre Haute is currently working to eliminate all septic systems within the city limits. If your house is located within 300 feet of a sanitary sewer, you must connect to the public sewer system. Please contact the City Engineering Department at 232-4028 for more information about connecting to the city’s sewer system.
Terre Haute has developed many projects which will help keep our sanitary sewer system working properly. These projects include rehabilitation of existing sanitary sewers, construction of new sanitary sewers, and separation of existing combined sewers. For a comprehensive list of these projects, visit our Related Projects page.
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One thing Terre Haute is doing to prevent excess stormwater from entering the combined sewer system is to construct separate storm and sanitary sewers. Not only are separate sewer systems constructed for any new development in the city, the existing combined system is also being separated in various areas around the city through capital improvement projects. Disconnecting downspouts and sump pumps from the combined sewer system can greatly reduce the amount of stormwater that enters the sewer system, in turn reducing the occurrence of overflow events. Although Terre Haute does not currently have a formal program to disconnect these drains, it is strongly encouraged. The city is also taking steps to smoke test in the future in order to locate any of these incorrect connections. If you suspect that your downspout or sump pump is incorrectly connected to the sewer system, check out our downspout information page for a step-by-step approach to disconnect your sewer. Retaining stormwater in a retention or detention pond is a very effective way to limit the amount of stormwater that enters the combined sewer system. While Terre Haute is making efforts to store as much stormwater as possible within the combined sewer system itself, there is still only limited capacity during large storm events. This is why the city now requires all new developments to retain their stormwater on site or provide an outlet to a separated storm sewer. Another measure being taken to limit stormwater inflow is the rehabilitation of some of the older sewers in the city. Some of the older pipes are cracked and deteriorated, allowing groundwater to infiltrate into the sewer system. These projects include replacement and reinforcement of existing pipes in the sewer system to prevent groundwater from seeping in. |
You can use the stormwater collected in these barrels to water your garden. |
