Press Release by City of Valparaiso:
The City of Valparaiso has broken ground on a major stormwater infrastructure project designed to
reduce flooding, improve stormwater management and continue the City’s long-term effort to separate
stormwater and sanitary sewer systems.
The Weston Street Stormwater Project, located along Lincolnway and Weston Street, represents a total
investment of $2,371,858 and includes approximately 1,200 feet of new storm sewer, along with water
main replacement. The project includes $958,752 in federal State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG)
funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and $356,559 in Drinking Water State
Revolving Funds for water main replacement.
Mayor Jon Costas thanked Congressman Frank Mrvan for his support in securing federal funding for
the project. “Projects like this remind us that strong communities are built through partnership. We’re
grateful for Congressman Mrvan’s support and for his work to bring federal resources back to Valparaiso
to address a need that directly affects our residents and businesses,” he said. He also reminded the
community of the significant investments the City has made over the past two decades. “We are
committed to responsible stewardship and not passing deferred maintenance on to future generations.”
Congressman Mrvan joined City officials, project partners and community representatives for the
groundbreaking. “Thank you to Mayor Costas and all of the leaders of the City of Valparaiso for this
successful initiative to secure vital federal funds to upgrade our sewer infrastructure. Let us continue
to build on this momentum to attract new economic activity and prioritize the health and well-being of
everyone in our region.”
The Weston Street project is part of the City’s two-decade effort to separate storm and sanitary sewer
systems and address sewer backups, street flooding and combined sewer overflows. Previous projects
have included sewer separation work along Valparaiso Street and Union Street, as well as major
projects in the Jessee-Pifer neighborhood completed in 2012 and 2013.
The City also completed a major culvert replacement beneath the railroad tracks in 2018, increasing
the capacity of the system and allowing additional areas to route stormwater through the corridor.
City Administrator Steve Poulos who formerly led Valparaiso City Services (including Utilities) began by
reminding attendees of the storms in August which had forced the rescheduling of this milestone
groundbreaking. “Storms like that one truly highlight the value of our infrastructure, our backup systems
and our future planning. Investments like the Weston Street project are so important to the long-term
stability and quality of life in Valparaiso and our region,” he said.
The project will help reduce the potential for flooding, protect homes and businesses, improve the City’s
stormwater management system and strengthen long-term infrastructure and community resiliency. The
water main replacement also advances Valparaiso City Utilities’ ongoing program to address aging
infrastructure.
Construction will begin this week, with work along Lincolnway planned for the fall. Construction will
continue next spring along Weston Street, with the project expected to extend north to the intersection
of Chicago and Weston.
The project reached several key milestones leading to construction, including the EPA grant award
notification in 2024, environmental approval in 2025, completion of engineering design in spring 2026
and the City’s award of the construction contract to Grimmer Construction in June. The project was
designed by DLZ and is being constructed by Grimmer Construction.
The City recognized the partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Congressman
Mrvan’s office, DLZ and Grimmer Construction, as well as the City staff and project teams who helped
bring the project from planning to construction. The City also thanked residents and businesses near
the project for their patience and cooperation during construction.
(Photo source: City of Valparaiso / Facebook)