Houghton Park Combined Sewer Overflow Storage Project

The City of St. Albans has begun construction of 500,000 gallons of underground storage in Houghton Park on Lower Welden Street to contain combined stormwater and sewage during precipitation and snow melt events.  This project is intended to reduce the vast majority of periodic overflows into Stevens Brook and flooding events in the intersection of Lower Welden Street and South Elm Street.

City contractors will excavate the southern area of Houghton Park along Lower Welden Street and install concrete sections to create storage chambers.  The storage chambers will accept stormwater/sewer overflows during precipitation and snow melt events.  After an event, the contents of the chambers will be pumped into the sewer system for regular treatment.

The construction project is scheduled to last through most of 2026.  This area of Houghton Park will be restored to lawn, with the addition of some new hatches and vents.  The existing courts for basketball, tennis and pickleball will not be affected. During construction there will be some impacts on surrounding streets, such as periods of flagged one-lane traffic and shifts in pedestrian walkways.

S.D Ireland is the lead contractor on the project, and Aldrich + Elliott is the lead consultant for design, engineering and monitoring.

The project is being funded with a Vermont ARPA Grant, a voter-approved Vermont / US EPA Clean Water Loan, and a Vermont Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant.  These funds are all administered by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

Contacts:

Marty Manahan, Director of Operations, (802) 524-1500 ext. 260.

Chip Sawyer, Director of Planning & Development, (802) 524-1500 ext. 259.