Stone Harbor Pump Station Project to Start

STONE HARBOR – Recently raised mandatory bulkhead heights are part of the fight against frequent flooding in Stone Harbor.
On Sept. 18, borough council heard a report on another aspect of the flood mitigation strategy. The borough plans a series of stormwater pump stations with modernized water collection systems and wider pipes for faster disposal of flood waters.
The focus of attention now is on the sanitary sewer pump station at 93rd Street. The project that starts this fall will include an upgrade to the sewer pump station and the creation and installation of a new stormwater pump station at the same location.
Neighbors of the existing station saw an artist’s rendering of the proposed façade for the new one.
The need to keep the existing sanitary sewer pump operational while it is replaced complicates the project, as does the plan to put both sewer and stormwater pumps, along with a large generator, on the small site. The project will be handled in two phases and will probably not be completed until the spring of 2020.
The engineering plans call for the pump stations to be in a row from front to back with the proposed generator in the middle. The new sanitary sewer pumps will be in the far rear and will be installed first using the existing sewer infrastructure.
This allows the current sewer pump to continue operation throughout the construction period.
When the project reaches the point that the new sewer pump station can be activated, about a year after construction begins, the old pump station will be demolished and become the sight of the new stormwater pump. 
What will it all look like?
According to the engineers, the front façade will be similar to a small home and the back, not visible from the street, will resemble a large shed. The combined structures will be similar in height to the existing station.
While the rendering was helpful, most of the neighbors who spoke at the meeting wanted to see a drawing showing the view from the rear of the structure. The engineers agreed to produce one.
The first phase of work involving the sanitary sewer pump will have minimal impact on the street. The street will be impacted when the stormwater pump station is constructed. 
Plans call for a 54-inch pipe to run down the length of the street to the bulkhead for the flood waters to be disbursed into the bay. No street work will be scheduled during the summer.
The tentative schedule calls for construction to begin in October with completion of phase one in about a year.  
The second phase, with its associated street work, would begin immediately following phase one and run for approximately 18 months to the spring of 2021.
A floodwater reduction grant is helping to pay for the stormwater pump station.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.