In an effort to combat combined sewer overflow (CSO) issues in compliance with a consent decree, the City of Akron sought the help of GPD to fully redesign and engineer a solution. 

GPD approached the challenge through sewer separation and storage. Project design included 27,000 linear feet of new storm sewers, new diversion and underflow sewers within urban neighborhoods, and a 2.4MGal centralized wetland extended detention basin located on a sensitive site in downtown Akron along the Little Cuyahoga River, prompting additional bank stabilization efforts. 

Via fast-tracked design and an accelerated construction schedule, GPD helped the city successfully eliminate CSOs within the 424-combined sewershed and delivered a basin designed with a long-term maintenance as a focus. In the end, the project not only solved the city’s challenges, but was named the winner of an SRF Creating Environmental Success (PISCES) Award and the ACEC Engineering Excellence Award.