CINCINNATI – The long-awaited Upper Muddy Creek Interceptor project in Green Township is expected to start on January 4, 2021. It will take about two years to complete, depending on weather and field conditions.

Lykins Contracting, LLC, based in Sunman, Indiana, was awarded the construction contract. Lykins was the low bidder at $9.35 million. MSD advertised for construction bids in July and received 8 bids.

The project, which was designed by a national engineering firm, includes the construction of a new 1.5-mile-long sewer along Muddy Creek Drive from Devils Backbone Road to near Sidney Road. The new sewer will be 3 feet in diameter and made of high-strength plastic. Major traffic impacts are expected on Muddy Creek Drive in the project area.

The project benefits include:

• Reduces combined sewer overflows into Muddy Creek and the Ohio River by 83% (by about 200 million gallons per year).
• Eliminates overflows of raw sewage from Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) 1061 into the Muddy Creek at no additional cost.
• Avoids the need to construct a CSO storage tank estimated at $16 million.
• Makes the sewer easier to maintain by MSD crews due to its placement under Muddy Creek Drive (rather than in the creek).
• Reduces debris and odors along Muddy Creek and at the Sayler Park marina.
• Protects the creek from sewage leaks.
• Improves water quality and public health.

Traffic Impacts

There will be major traffic impacts on Muddy Creek Drive between Devils Backbone and Sidney roads. The traffic impacts are expected to start on the west end of Muddy Creek Drive at Devils Backbone Road and move east toward Sidney Road. Traffic updates will be communicated through press releases and Twitter.

Background

The Muddy Creek Interceptor is a large diameter sewer that helps convey wastewater from homes and businesses on Cincinnati's west side to MSD's Muddy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Sayler Park. Built in the 1920s and 1930s, the sewer is about 5.5 miles long and runs from Werk & Westbourne roads in Green Township to the Muddy Creek pump station in Sayler Park. Most of the sewer was replaced in the 1970s-1990s, except for an approximately 2.5-mile section known as the Upper Muddy Creek Interceptor or UMCI. The UMCI is nearly 100 years old and is severely deteriorated. Sewage from the pipe leaks into the Muddy Creek during dry weather days, and significant overflows of sewage occur during rainstorms.

This project will replace about 1.5 miles of the 2.5-mile-long UMCI. The remaining mile will need to be replaced as part of a separate project.

For more information, please visit the project website at www.msdgc.org/UpperMuddy. Please follow MSD at @CincinnatiMSD on Twitter for schedule/traffic updates.

Please see the project location map below.