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COVINGTON - The City of Covington and Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) are working together in an ongoing effort to improve sanitation and storm water management in Covington.
The City and SD1 are hosting a public meeting at 6 p.m. August 6 at the Center for Great Neighborhoods to talk about the upcoming Peaselburg basin improvements.
The presentation will cover the scope of work for a Phase I that will be constructed this summer, and Phase II which is under design and slated to be constructed early 2015.
The public is invited to attend and ask questions about the $700,000 project.
With the help or State Representative Arnold Simpson, the City was allocatedtwo $300,000 grants in 2008 from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to improve the storm water and flooding issues in Peaselburg, and the areas around Ray's Lane and Point Benton.
During heavy storm events, these areas are prone to flooding and backups in basements.This project is a first step towards attempting to alleviate these issues.
This grant money, along with an additional $100,000 from the City's capital budget, will cover Phase I and II of the improvements.
Phase I includes the construction of a new detention basin at the top of Rays Lane and will be constructed this summer. The plan is for the Phase I work construction to decrease flooding in Peaselburg, and reduce, or possibly eliminate, surface run-off on Rays Lane. A new inlet system - a structure that transitions surface rainfall into the underground piping system - will also be installed at the top of Rays Lane. Currently, debris often blocks the existing structure and prevents the water from getting into the piping system. This new system will prevent this from happening.
Phase II will likely be constructed in the spring of next year and includes basin improvements near Monte Road, Point Benton and Benton Road. These basins will be enlarged and new pipes will be installed to help alleviate surface run off. There will also be a new basin installed where the ball field is located at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Benton Road.
These projects will not completely solve the flooding issues in and around Peaselburg, but these improvements will be a first step toward fixing the problem.
Future projects are already in the works. The City and SD1 are to determine where other improvements should be made and perform a priority and cost benefit analysis throughout the City. The City and SD1 are actively looking for potential funding sources to make future projects a reality. Finding funding will be a challenging task, but SD1 and the City have committed to addressing the severity of this high priority issue.
In the meantime, here's how citizens can help:
- Before a storm hits, check your local basins for trash and debris. Clear the area, and if you can't do it yourself, contact DPI at 859 292 2292.
- If after a storm, you see a faulty drain and the water is not able to pass through it, contact the City at 859-292-2292 to report it. It will be inspected, a work order request will be sent to SD1.
These are "first-step" efforts to make an effort to manage storm water in an effective manner.
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