River Road is now open!
The second phase of the River Road CSO Project is now complete. Both lanes of North River Road are now open. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time of growth for the City of West Lafayette.
River Road is now open!
The second phase of the River Road CSO Project is now complete. Both lanes of North River Road are now open. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time of growth for the City of West Lafayette.
What is CSO?
In West Lafayette, our sewer system transports stormwater and wastewater through one system to the wastewater treatment plant.
Before the completion of the second phase, normal rain events with 1⁄4-inch of rainfall or more, the combined system capacity was becoming overwhelmed, resulting in stormwater and wastewater overflowing into the Wabash River. This is referred to as a combined sewer overflow (CSO).
By expanding our infrastructure, we have essentially stopped CSO events, improving the health of the Wabash River.
Protecting the Wabash
Starting in 2016, the City of West Lafayette began this three-phase project.
PHASE 1
COMPLETED 2016
PHASE 2
COMPLETED OCTOBER 2023
PHASE 3
STARTING SPRING 2026*
Update and expand the wastewater treatment facility for West Lafayette
*Projected date. Subject to change.
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Fast Facts
1.7 million gallons
of waste water and stormwater can be stored and diverted away from the Wabash River.
Decrease overflows
from 30-40 each year to one every couple of years
~50% of the budget
is covered by the American Rescue Plan
6 Purdue Bell Towers laid end-to-end
is how long the 1,000-foot holding tank buried thirty feet under River Road measures.
With just a 1/4-inch of rain,
the previous system could have been overwhelmed, resulting in stormwater and wastewater overflowing into the Wabash River. The new system prevents overflows in rain events with more than 2″ of rain in an hour.
11,000 tons
of concrete was used to build the new holding tank.
Three Olympic-sized swimming pools
full of contaminated water can now be diverted from our river during each rain event.