As part of the construction of The Linc Apartments and Lincoln Highway Garage, the City developed plans for streetscape enhancements and upgrades to existing utility infrastructure. The City’s contractor commenced work on July 8, 2024. As part of the sewer improvements, appropriate bypass pumping was installed to ensure the current sewer system was operational during construction. During the rain event on the morning of August 5, the bypass pumping system failed to operate correctly, causing certain manholes to overflow and the flooding of the construction area and some neighboring properties. This should not have happened. The City team was onsite immediately to help mitigate the flooding and damage. As required, the City contacted the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to report the overflow event. IDEM has conducted an onsite assessment.
The City has held multiple meetings with the contractor to evaluate the current bypass pumping plan and to better understand why the pumps failed and City’s sewer system was compromised. The City is also working with impacted property owners.