Tyler, Texas, City Council approves $28 million sewer upgrade
(UI) — The Tyler City Council has approved a $28.2 million contract with Belt Construction of Texas LLC, to improve sewer line capacity in the downtown area.
The project, part of the city’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its aging wastewater system, will add 18,141 linear feet of sanitary sewer line between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Bryan Street. The pipes will be replaced with new lines ranging in size from six to 42 inches.
In 2017, the city reached an agreement with the EPA to enhance capacity and mitigate overflow problems. This initiative is part of its compliance efforts with the federal agency.
Work on the sewer line is expected to be completed by spring 2027.
In April 2024, the Tyler City Council received an update from Pipeline Analysis LLC on the progress of sewer system rehabilitations under the city's Consent Decree. Over the past eight years, repairs and capacity upgrades have significantly reduced sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), a key metric monitored by the EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
At the start of the Consent Decree, the city recorded 15 SSOs per 100 miles of sewer line. By 2023, that number had dropped to eight, and as of early 2024, only two incidents had been reported. Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) aims to maintain fewer than five SSOs per 100 miles annually by focusing on capacity improvements and proactive maintenance.
To prevent blockages, TWU has strengthened efforts to reduce fat, oil, and grease (FOG) accumulation, inspecting food service establishments and enforcing compliance. Other initiatives include replacing nearly 3,000 private lateral line cleanout caps to prevent rainwater infiltration and completing stormwater sewer inspections. Since April 2017, Pipeline Analysis LLC has guided the city's compliance efforts, ensuring Tyler remains on track to meet the Consent Decree’s 10-year improvement timeline.
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