The City of Evanston is rehabilitating a portion of the City’s public combined sewer lines using the Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) process. Work is scheduled to be completed May 1 through June 1, weather permitting, at locations throughout Evanston. Preparatory work has already begun.
The contractor performing the work is Hoerr Construction, Inc. A map of project locations is included in the attached project newsletter.
Project Details
During sewer rehabilitation, a liner is inserted into the public sewer that will seal buildings’ sewer service connections, preventing them from flowing into the public sewer. Residents are asked to limit water usage when the contractor is rehabilitating the sewer line in front of their building. Any sump pumps that are connected to the combined sewer system should be disconnected during this time. When installation of the liner is completed, the contractor will reestablish flow from the building sewer service to the public sewer.
The contractor will work with area residents and businesses to minimize impacts and noise. A 10-day notice and a 24-hour notice will be provided to area residents prior to the lining work. Work should take approximately 12 hours to complete at each location. Residents and businesses that do not receive a notice will not be affected.
“No Parking” signs will be posted in the area where the rehabilitation work will restrict parking. In high traffic areas, lining work may be performed between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. to reduce traffic impact.
Information on Styrene
The resins used in the lining process have been used in the fiberglass industry for many years. These resins contain a chemical called styrene that hardens when heated. Although styrene has an unpleasant odor, it is not dangerous at the levels at which people can detect it. Community members are advised to not be alarmed if they smell the styrene while contractors are working in their area. An easy way to prevent the styrene odor is to pour a gallon of water into each drain (particularly basement floor drains). This keeps the drain trap full and prevents sewer gases from coming into the building. Because the water in the drain traps evaporates over time, this practice should be done regularly.
City Monitoring
This project will be monitored by the City’s Capital Planning & Engineering Bureau. For questions or concerns, please contact Civil Engineer Hannah Grooms at 847-448-8280 or hgrooms@cityofevanston.org.