An informational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday in the Edward J. Bellamy Middle School.
CHICOPEE – Faced with a potential disaster because of an eroding spillway, the city plans to replace sewer mains near Roberts Pond this spring.
But before the city starts hiring contractors or ripping up pavement, officials want more information about problems with drainage, sewer backups or other issues in the area, said Thomas M. Hamel, project supervisor for the water pollution control facility.
“We are going to have plans and we want to know what is going on,” he said. “We can’t fix something if we don’t know about it.”
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Monday in the Edward J. Bellamy Middle School. Residents can hear a description ofthe project, but what officials really want is information, Hamel said.
The city is planning to replace the sewer main on Irene Street between Factory Street and Cyran Street. A storm drain line will be added on Roberts Pond Lane, separating it from the sewer main to end back-ups into homes, he said.
The project is in part designed to correct a problem that was created about five years ago when Roberts Pond was drained because the spillway was eroded and engineers deemed it a danger if the dam ever burst.
There is also a sewer main running through an earthen embankment under the spillway that will be redesigned and replaced.
“If that erodes away the sewer will be dumping directly into the river. We were alarmed by that if the embankment ever failed,” Hamel said.
An emergency pipe was also installed when Roberts Pond was drained that would allow the Willimansett Brook to flow through the dam. However the pipe is a small 4-foot one and water backs up and fills the former pond in a heavy rain. The pipe must be monitored by employees at all times during a rainstorm to ensure it does not get blocked and threaten the dam, Hamel said.
The project will replace that 4-foot pipe by one measuring 14 feet by 10 feet, which can handle all the water even during a heavy rain, he said.
The city is eligible for a low-interest state loan to fund the $3 million project, but all the work will be paid for through city money. If the work begins by the spring, it could receive a grant to pay for 10 percent of the project, Hamel said.
He expects the work to begin in early April, he said.