Stretch of Markland to be closed for approximately 6 months

Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·2 min read

Mar. 21—A small stretch of Markland Avenue will be closed to traffic for approximately six months starting next month as the city of Kokomo continues its construction of a new peak excess flow treatment facility.

Markland Avenue, between Park Avenue and Millbrook Lane, will be closed to traffic starting April 3, the city announced on its Facebook page Tuesday. The closure is expected to last approximately six months and is related to construction of a new peak excess flow treatment facility being built on the banks of the Kokomo Creek just east of the city's current wastewater treatment plant.

Jon Pyke, director of the city engineering department, said crews will be installing a large pipe from the new facility to the north of Markland Avenue.

"The pipe is very large and very deep, which is why the closure is so long," Pyke told the Tribune in an email. "We all hope to have it completed before the 6 month time frame, if at all possible."

The new peak excess flow treatment facility will better prevent combined sewer overflow from being dumped into the Kokomo Creek during heavy rainfalls.

Essentially, the new peak excess flow treatment facility (PEFTF No. 2) will serve as the primary wet-weather treatment facility beyond the city's wastewater treatment plant's usual 40 million gallons per day capacity. The city's existing peak excess flow treatment facility (PEFTF No. 1) will be used to treat all excess flow from the the treatment plant and PEFTF No. 2.

The new PEFTF will be rated to treat 50 million gallons per day.

In 2021, the Kokomo City Council approved the issuance of municipal bonds not to exceed $24.5 million to pay for the project.

When cities and towns were first building their sewer systems, they constructed what are called combined sewer systems (CSS) that transport all types of wastewater to the treatment plant through the same pipe.

The problem arises when the volume of wastewater can sometimes exceed the capacity of the CSS or treatment plant, such as during heavy rain or snowmelt. When this occurs, untreated stormwater and wastewater is sent directly into nearby streams, rivers and other bodies of water via a combined sewer overflow.

This is a water pollution concern, and so the Environmental Protection Agency has mandated that local municipalities get rid of their CSOs.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.