The town of Porter is seeking federal funding for two sanitary sewer projects that would address present issues and open future opportunities for growth north of U.S. 20.
Porter submitted the proposals in response to a request from U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, for communities within his district to present their applications for federal funding available for the 2027 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.
The more expensive of the two projects involves upgrading the interceptor sewer on Waverly Road, which would service the Porter Beach neighborhood, Indiana Dunes State Park and facilitate other development north of U.S. 20.
It would cost $6 million to install a larger sewer line on Waverly Road along with building an additional lift station and around 3,000 feet of new sewer line. The federal government would fund $4.5 million, with the town picking up the remaining cost.
But Porter Town Council President William Lopez, D-Ward 3, said in a letter to Mrvan that a project that would address cracked old sewers in three subdivisions north of U.S. 20 actually has the higher priority now.
The clay pipe sewers in the Dune Forest, Waverly Heights and Dunes View Manor subdivisions were installed between 80 and 100 years ago.
“Every time it rains real hard, the water that leaks in there goes through the sanitary sewer system,” said Michael Barry, the town’s development director and building commissioner.
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James Spanier, Porter’s public works superintendent, said during heavy rains he has to send crews with vacuum trucks to relieve the overloaded lift stations.
“This creates additional expense in treating stormwater at the sewage treatment plant. The money saved could be utilized for other projects. Sewer rehabilitation is urgently needed,” Spanier wrote in his letter supporting the project.
Barry said Porter previously addressed a number of leaky old sewers in its downtown area and it saved a significant amount of money.
The town of Porter is asking for a $1 million grant, which it would match with $333,000, to start addressing the clay pipes within the three subdivisions.
Commonwealth Engineers Inc. of South Bend estimates that it would cost closer to $3 million to fully address all the sewer issues in the three subdivisions. The town would identify, through testing, where the worst sewer sections are and fix them first.
At some point, Porter will have to enlarge the Waverly Road interceptor sewer if it hopes to develop property north of U.S. 20.
Another pressing issue is the number of failing septic systems in the Porter Beach neighborhood.
Barry said that the redevelopment of the prime Porter Beach lakefront site — now occupied by the dilapidated Johnson Inn — wouldn’t be permitted now because of the lack of a sanitary sewer connection.
The Johnson Inn property is tied up in probate court in Lake County because the primary owner, Carl Dahlin Jr., died in 2024. Chuck Williams of C.L. Williams Company in Valparaiso is interested in buying the property, Barry said.
Alan Morrison, director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, sent along a letter of support to Mrvan, noting that they would one day want the Indiana Dunes State Park to tie into the town’s sanitary sewer.
Jason J. Taylor, superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Park, also endorses the project, noting “it would enable the removal of outdated septic systems for Porter Beach residents” and also allow for the connection of the beach restroom to a sanitary sewer.
Heather Ennis, president of the Northwest Indiana Forum, noted in her letter: “This project is essential to improve infrastructure and quality of life in Porter, two essential elements necessary for future economic development.”
In late 2021, the Northwest Indiana Forum, without the town of Porter’s knowledge, was going to apply for a $30 million grant from the Indiana Regional Economic and Development Initiative (READI) program to help with the redevelopment of the Johnson Inn land.
That grant application was withdrawn at Barry’s request because Dahlin still owned the property and the town’s Redevelopment Commission hadn’t been consulted.
Commonwealth Engineers proposes that the project be done in two phases. The first part, estimated to cost $2.294 million, would install a 15-inch sewer line, larger than the present 12-inch sewer, on Waverly Road between Oak Hill Road and Summertree Drive, a distance of about 1,000 feet.
The second phase, costing an estimated $3.706 million, would involve building a lift station north of Interstate 94, just east of Waverly Road, along with around 3,000 feet of sewer line. The installation of the lift station would involve boring underneath I-94. There are two proposed routes for the new sewer line, which would be mostly 8-inch lines.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.