Maple Avenue Relief Sewer (MARS)

Maple Avenue Relief Sewer (MARS)

The purpose of the Maple Avenue Relief Sewer is to add additional capacity to the existing sewer system to address flooding in areas tributary to the Maple Avenue Sewer. The MARS project involves the construction of a relief sewer along Maple Avenue from Bluff Avenue to Peck Avenue. The sewer pipe will range from 60 inches in diameter at Bluff to 24 inches at Peck. The relief sewer will intercept drainage from the existing combination sewers, providing relief for the existing Cossitt Avenue sewer. At Bluff Avenue, the relief sewer will redirect dry weather sanitary flow to the sanitary outlet in East Avenue and divert wet weather storm flow to the deep tunnel outlet.

The drainage area that will directly benefit from the construction of this sewer is roughly 560 acres and extends from 47th Street to the BNSF railroad and from Bluff Avenue to Gilbert Avenue.  Once MARS is completed the wet weather drainage from approximately 240 acres south of Maple Avenue will be intercepted by the Maple Avenue Relief Sewer and will be redirected to go directly into the deep tunnel.

The Village was able to construct the first stage of MARS in 2009-10 as part of the Bluff Avenue Reconstruction Project.  The construction of the first stage of the MARS project involved connecting a sewer to the TARP or “Deep Tunnel” system at the corner of Cossitt and East Avenues.  The next phases then extended to the intersection of Maple and Bluff Avenues and from Bluff Avenue to 6th Avenue.  These phases encountered shallow bedrock which increased complexity and cost.  Additionally, MWRD indicated that additional expansion of this system is reliant upon the timing of MWRD expanding their Deep Tunnel system capacity expected in 2029.  

View a detailed presentation regarding the MARS project (PDF).

View a copy of the Preliminary Engineering Report. (PDF).

The Village has engaged the services of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LLC to update the Village's stormwater modeling and evaluate this project.  Data generated will inform the development of project scope, feasibility, permitting requirements, cost, benefit, and overall prioritization within the framework of the Village's overall flood mitigation efforts.