Beaconsfield and Oak detour
When almost 4 inches of rain fell in June of 2021 on Eastpointe and St. Clair Shores, our staff at the Chapaton Pump Station on Nine Mile Road at Jefferson Avenue worked hard to manage the flow of combined sanitary sewage and storm water runoff and we were able to prevent basement flooding in thousands of homes.
While preventing basement flooding is always the goal during heavy rain events, sewer systems and open-channel drains are not capable of handling the intensity and length of severe rainstorms. In that storm event, parts of northeast Detroit and the Grosse Pointes were hit with 6-8 inches of rain, and flooding was extensive and costly.
During significant rain events, combined sewer overflows are chemically-treated to kill E-coli bacteria before being discharged into Lake St. Clair. These CSO’s are permitted by the state but they have gone on for decades. No longer should we be pushing this problem onto future generations.
To help reduce CSO’s, the Macomb County Public Works Office has begun construction of a vital infrastructure project. Known as an “In-System Storage Project” in the drainage district serving all of Eastpointe and most of St. Clair Shores, it will use existing infrastructure by installing an inflatable bladder inside the large interceptor pipe far below the surface of Oak Street between Boulder Street and Interstate 94.
When inflated, the bladder will permit combined sewer flow to be “stored” upstream and released as needed to maintain flow without creating an increased risk of basement flooding. The purpose of increased storage capacity is to reduce combined sewer overflows and discharges of CSO’s into our beautiful Lake St. Clair. Water quality equals quality of life, and this important project is one step to help us to better protect the lake and the environment. We believe this important project can help reduce CSO’s from the Chapaton Retention Basin by 30 percent.
With the recent announcement of federal earmarks and state funding to Macomb County for key sewer projects, we do not anticipate that the $10 million In-System Storage Project will itself not require an increase in sewer rates for the ratepayers in Eastpointe and St. Clair Shores, which is great news.
The reason we are doing this project is to protect water quality. Clean water is a common goal that we all share.
Also, we want to notify you about construction activity associated with this project that are currently underway and which will impact motorists:
- Excavation has begun to construct an access shaft at the intersection of Beaconsfield at Oak Avenue, to install the In-System Storage device inside the interceptor pipe. Equipment was been staged in the greenbelt between Beaconsfield and Interstate 94, for subsequent installation of a control building. Oak Street at Beaconsfield was closed in mid July 2022 for watermain relocation and Beaconsfield will be closed to through traffic beginning in August 2022. This road closure is expected to remain in effect until the fall of 2023. Through traffic on Beaconsfield will be detoured to Kelly Avenue. Attached to this letter is a map view of the construction area where Beaconsfield will be closed as well as a detour route.
We appreciate your support and cooperation for this important project! If you have any questions, please contact Steve Rozycki at steve.rozycki@macombgov.org or by phone at 586-696-0235.
