Sewer lining to clean up system in Naperville's Cress Creek

Several low-lying Naperville neighborhoods that experienced flooding and sewer backups last April are in store for a sewer lining project beginning next week to prevent groundwater from entering pipes and contributing to overflows, city officials said.

Roughly 57,000 feet of sanitary sewer mains in the Cress Creek area near Ogden Avenue and Mill Street will be lined as part of the $1.8 million project, which is expected to conclude by April, spokeswoman Linda LaCloche said.

Crews from Hoerr Construction of Peoria, which was awarded the contract in November, will install a watertight lining inside existing sewer pipes to prevent groundwater from seeping in. The work will extend the useful life of the pipes, and it does not require any digging, which will protect trees and landscaping from possible damage.

Neighborhoods including Cress Creek -- the state's first golf course subdivision, which was built on a swampy area -- Cress Creek Commons, Century Farms, Creekside Manor and the eastern part of Brush Hill will see work as part of a project that was moved forward because of last April's flooding.

Frustration with flooding after a storm dumped up to 7 inches of rain on the area brought a pair of Cress Creek residents to multiple city council meetings asking for speedier stormwater solutions. The city had been planning to line sewer pipes in the Cress Creek area, but without the April flooding, work likely would not have begun until fall, LaCloche said.

Sewer lining is unlikely to start on Monday, when high temperatures are predicted to remain below zero, or Tuesday, which is expected to be another frigid day. But LaCloche said the project is expected to begin later in the week.

In a separate sewer-related project for which the city will seek bids this month, LaCloche said 176 sewer manhole covers in the Cress Creek area will be rehabilitated. Fixing the manhole covers will help seal another way rainwater can infiltrate sanitary sewer pipes and overwhelm the system.