Headworks Improvement Project Approaching Final Phase

City of Akron Press Release
From the desk of Kelli Stewart
Published: 08-16-2022

Akron, Ohio, August 15, 2022 — Today, the City of Akron announced the Headworks Improvement construction project at the Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) is moving into its final phase. The project involves the replacement of the Main Outfall Interceptor (MOI) aerial sewer crossing over the Cuyahoga River.

Residents and visitors who travel the Towpath or Riverview Road have likely seen the Towpath detour around the Main Outfall Interceptor where it crosses over the river, just south of the Botzum Trailhead of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. That detour goes around the Headworks Improvement project. To complete the aerial sewer replacement, Akron will be using a temporary pumping system along the Towpath to divert flow to the Water Reclamation Facility along Akron-Peninsula Road. This pumping operation is scheduled to start later this month.

The pumping system will be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and scheduled to be completed within 90 days. Personnel will be on-site during the pumping and construction project at all times.

This temporary pumping system will be a large component of the final phase of the Headworks Project. Having been built in 1954, the Headworks facility is beyond its useful life with the last refurbishment occurring in 1989. The MOI sewer was placed into operation in 1928 and with the replacement of the existing river crossing and sewer, the new river crossing will remove physical barriers from the river allowing a wider area for recreation along the Cuyahoga River. The new Headworks Facility will be a vital improvement and protect the investment Akron has made in upgrading the treatment of wet weather flows at the WRF and improve the water quality of the Cuyahoga River.

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For further information, contact:
Kelli Stewart
Communications Specialist
E-mail: [email protected]