Valparaiso Breaks Ground on Weston Street Stormwater Project  

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.