The City of Kalamazoo has owned and maintained sewers located on Graphic Packaging International (GPI) property since 1965. Recent engineering studies identified turbulent flow, large drops, and agitation within an existing GPI sewer pipe to be a potential contributing factor to odors.
This project was designed to realign the this sewer along a new overland pathway directly into the Kalamazoo Water Reclamation Plant (KWRP). This newly proposed pipeline has a smooth flow design with gentle transitions in grade. A submerged discharge at the KWRP will also prevent any airflow within the new pipeline between the KWRP and GPI. Additional features of the design include a totally sealed approach with ductile iron pipe and fittings, even within manholes, to prevent any air escape from the pipeline. An overflow and by-pass chamber and separate redundant pipeline is also included within this project to provide additional protection against spills and increased reliability to allow pumped by-pass operations.
The existing industrial force main and the industrial chamber on GPI property will be taken out of service and abandoned during this project. The industrial chamber on GPI property will be cut out, filled in with concrete, and paved over once the flow has been moved over into the new pipeline.
Watch a presentation on this project from Public Services Director James Baker: