Lake Station officials say IDEM order lifted but sewer capacity limits major development; $2.5M–$3M work proposed

Adrian Vero, Lake Station's chief of staff, and Street Superintendent Dwayne told the City Council the city is out from under a longstanding Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) agreed order but still faces major sewer-capacity constraints that limit new housing development.

At a council meeting, Dwayne said, "As of, it was this week, I would say it's Monday, we've received a letter from IDEM. We are no longer under the agreed order," and he urged caution to avoid returning to oversight. He said the city has digitized sewer-lines and manhole data in a GIS mapping system to help engineers and developers locate infrastructure.

Why it matters: Council members were told that, even though the agreed order is lifted, gravity mains and pump stations remain undersized in parts of the city and that large proposed developments cannot connect to the system without upgrades. Dwayne said an engineered solution under study would redirect the 18th-and-Union force main to an existing station and would require directional boring under U.S. 94 and property access; engineers estimate that work on the force main alone would be roughly $2.5 million and that replacing or upsizing a station could push the cost toward $3 million.

Dwayne described earlier investments and limits on outside funding. He said the Crossroads lift station project previously benefited from about $5 million in outside funding and that some pump stations were deliberately sized with room for an additional pump but not yet funded. "That station, when it gets replaced, will be moved over to the West Side of Union...but my thing is that just that pump station alone is gonna be additional 2.5 to $3,000,000," he told council members.

Council discussion focused on funding and sequencing. Council President (chair) S1 summarized the short-term finance question around a previously discussed sanitary-district loan extension: "They paid the whole amount, and they would like to have the 400. If we would move forward on this, that's what they would expect," he said, referring to a $400,000 rollover the sanitary district asked the city to extend. The council left Resolution 2026-01 tabled and said it would seek more detailed project-level cost breakdowns and a clearer repayment timetable before approving any transfer or loan extension.

The presentation also flagged related stormwater work. Adrian said a stormwater trunk-line project already under way is being funded by the stormwater department and will include sanitary-line replacements where work overlaps; one trunk section was described as a roughly $1.2 million component funded from current stormwater allocations.

What happens next: Council members asked for detailed engineering estimates and clearer budget options before taking formal action. The council president said the topic will be part of upcoming budget planning sessions and follow-up staff briefings. No final appropriation or contract award was made at the meeting.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A with Street Superintendent Dwayne and Chief of Staff Adrian Vero during the Lake Station City Council meeting; council discussion and statements from the chair.