GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The City of Green Bay has spent the past year looking at ways to deal with street flooding near one of the east side’s most popular intersections.
The city’s public works director says there appears to be a solution, but it’s expensive, and it would only put a dent in the problem near Main and Mason Streets.
In the next several weeks, the city council is expected to consider the option of putting in a new sewer system for the area, at a cost of between $28 million and $30 million.
Steve Grenier, public works director for Green Bay, tells FOX 11 while the system wouldn’t completely get rid of the flooding during the heavy rainfalls, it is being viewed as the only potential option.
“So from an engineering perspective, we found something that the math on it works. Now we get to talk about practicality.”
From cars stalling out in the streets to businesses experiencing significant damage, Martin Hardware has, fortunately, remained dry near the center of the flooding woes near Main and Mason Streets.
“It’s inconvenient for us as businesses,” said Katy Martin, owner of Martin Hardware. “It’s inconvenient for people who need to get to Bellevue or vice versa.”
Grenier says with help from a consultant, the city has considered all options, including underground storage at East Town Mall and retention ponds.
“We were talking about alternatives being up in the $20 million range and they were knocking off inches out of feet. The cost-effectiveness wasn’t where we needed it to be.”
Grenier says the new sewer system would be designed to handle a 1 in 25 storm, a stronger capacity compared to the city’s typical system design for a 1 in 10 storm.
Grenier says the area’s current system goes back to when it was part of the Town of Preble and it likely only handles a 1 in 5 storm.
“We get a 1 in 100 storm, that thing is still going to flood. We get a 1 in 50 storm, it’s going to flood.”
Two box culverts would be put in under Mason Street, just east of Lime Kiln Road. Grenier says the water would then travel to a low point on Main Street, which would have a new pipe traveling the length of Main Street, ending near Elizabeth Street and the East River.
Grenier says it would likely take two years to design this new system. Construction would likely take at least another year.
“You’d be looking at Main Street between Elizabeth and Mason Street, not being trafficable for an entire year.”
The money to pay for the project would likely need to come from the stormwater management budget.
Grenier says projections on a 20-year bond would raise stormwater rates by $35…..a tough pill to swallow to partly fix one flooding problem in a city he admits has several of them.
“This is the only thing we’ve found that will make a dent.”
By comparison, Grenier says the entire stormwater budget for this year is $7.3 million.
“I think we just need to keep trying and keep looking at it,” said Martin. “There’s got to be something out there.”
The city has had preliminary talks with the DNR to see if it would sign off on this plan.
Grenier believes the flooding issues are tied to a decision made decades ago to turn Ellis Creek into a sewer system. He believes the problems have gotten worse recently due to heavier rainfalls during shorter time periods and increased commercial development in an area where the stormwater system was designed for residential development.
The Improvement and Services Committee could make a recommendation at its next meeting, on January 8th.
