Clay Township sewer-overflow project halted

The Clay Township Regional Waste District on Wednesday withdrew its offer to buy part of a church's land and build a million-gallon sewage-overflow tank near 106th Street and Keystone Parkway.

The King of Glory Lutheran Church requested that the offer be withdrawn earlier this week to give it time meet with neighbors and to research above-ground overflow tanks.

The CTRWD offered $106,800 to buy 1.6 acres of land just south of the church’s building complex and parking lot for an enclosed tank that would temporarily hold sewer overflow. The proposed tank is roughly the size of a large one-story home.

Each year, the area receives heavy rainfall several times, causing the sewer system to overflow. The system is designed with a capacity for just sewage, unlike Indianapolis, which has a combined sewer system for both sewage and rainwater.

Clay Township Utility Director Drew Williams said the CTRWD board of trustees would not say that the project was dead, but that the members were considering their options.

“Your project is dead,” Carmel City Councilor Kevin Rider told IBJ after making the same point at the CTRWD meeting Wednesday. “Find another solution.”

Rider said the city of Carmel has been suggesting several alternatives for the last eight years. Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard said he’s wanted Clay Township Utilities to merge with Carmel Utilities since 1996. CTRWD has resisted to keep its rates down, Williams said.

CTRWD said at the meeting that it would not resort to eminent domain. Instead, the board plans to meet with Carmel’s utility director and consulting engineer to brainstorm for alternatives.