— City officials are gearing up for Muskogee’s next major sewer line improvement project.

With its permit in hand and much of the engineering work completed, officials expect to begin soliciting bids to replace the east-side interceptor line within the next 90 days. Officials anticipate the project will be complete before this time next year.

The estimated cost of the project is about $9 million, which is being funded with proceeds from a low-interest loan through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. City officials said no rate increases were required to repay the loan.

The nearly six-mile length of sewer line collects a large volume of sewage and wastewater and carries it to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The line originates on Beacon Street near Shawnee Bypass and ends south of Peak Boulevard, dissecting along the way a number of densely populated residential areas located between York Street and Country Club Road.

Public Works Director Mike Stewart said replacing the deteriorating line will prove challenging because of small easements and replacement methods.

“Our major problem is how we are going to keep Mrs. Jones in the sewer business while we’re getting this new line in place,” Stewart said about residents who will be rely on continuous sewer service while the project is ongoing.

Several sections of the replacement line, Stewart said, will be done by a method described as “pipe bursting.” The technique involves the use of a device that is pulled through existing pipes, enlarging the hole while pulling new piping through the tunnel. Once the new pipes are in place, workers must go inside the pipes to tap service lines and restore service.

The project is one of several sewer line improvements required by a consent order issued in 2008 by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. The order was issued after thousands of gallons of raw sewage spilled into a tributary of Coody Creek, which empties into the Arkansas River.

Jay Updike, a local engineer whose company is overseeing sewer line improvements, recently said the ODEQ consent order was modified March 2010, requiring the city to upgrade its wastewater collection system to eliminate unpermitted discharges.

Stewart said the amended order required a systemwide inspection and the development of a master plan for rehabilitation. Those inspections, Stewart said, exposed serious problems with the east-side interceptor line.

Assistant Public Works Director George Kingston, who oversees the city’s utility services, said cameras found one place where the soil had washed out above the line and below a street. The void measured 10 to 12 feet across and at least that high.

During the past year, Kingston said, the east-side interceptor has experienced three major failures. The work, Stewart said, “desperately needs to be done.”

Other sewer line improvements required by the ODEQ consent order include the Coody Creek outfall line, the final phase of which is nearing completion. The failure of that line is what contributed to the sewage spill that prompted the consent order.

The Coody Creek project, which was done in three phases, is expected to cost about $12 million by the time it is completed. The project was funded with revenue generated by a five-year 0.325-cent sales tax.

Stewart said once the east-side interceptor line is replaced, the city will begin its next major sewer line improvement. The project will involve the relocation or replacement of lift stations.

Crews now are in the process of smoke-testing smaller sewer lines in parts of the city in an effort to identify points of  stormwater infiltration. The sudden influx of water during heavy rainfall has contributed to sanitary sewer overflows, which are considered unpermitted discharges.

The smoke tests to this point, Stewart said, have confirmed what was suspected: There are several areas where improvements are needed.

Reach D.E. Smoot at (918) 684-2901 or dsmoot

@muskogeephoenix.com.