The Champaign City Council directed city staff to finalize the plans for the design and construction of the West Washington Street detention basin at its Tuesday study session. 

The construction of the basin is the first component of the West Washington Drainage Improvements Project, which has been split up into three phases, said Alex Nagy, civil engineer for Champaign. Finalizing the project’s design will start as early as next week, and the final construction is scheduled to be completed by November 2014. 

The other two phases are the Glenn Park Drive detention basins and Washington Street storm sewer and the Edwin Street and James Street storm sewers.

The basin will reduce flooding on West Washington and Russell Streets and will hold 10 acre-feet of storm water, according to a city memorandum. With the basin’s installation, flooding will be reduced by more than a foot, and existing storm sewers will be replaced to “enhance the delivery of storm water into the new detention basin.” 

Sidewalks, rain gardens, native plants and a gazebo will also surround the basin, said Bruce Knight, planning director for Champaign. 

“(The neighborhood) wanted something that they thought fit for their neighborhood in character,” Knight said. “That’s what led to the design. … It accomplishes all of our goals that we set from the front end of creating something that would solve the problem.” 

Nagy said the project has been separated into phases to give the city time to figure out how to fund the project. The total cost for all three phases will be around $15 million, with the construction cost for phase one at $2.1 million. 

The city plans to pay for the project in a “pay as you go” fashion, with the funds coming from the city’s storm water utility fee. The fee is paid for by Champaign residents, and is about $60 a year for a single-family residence on average. Funds for phase two and three have not yet been allocated. 

Jim Creighton, spokesman for the West Washington Street Watershed Steering Committee, addressed the council during the study session and said he supports using the storm water utility fee to fund the project. 

“While we would like to have this project done yesterday, we understand that the approach of pay as you go and not burdening the tax payers with the amount of debt is greatly appreciated,” Creighton said. 

For the past year, the city has also worked closely with the committee in finalizing the plans for the basin. Tom Bruno, council member at-large, said he thinks the committee was a “tremendous example” of the community and city working together toward a common goal. 

“It’s appreciated and it’s good for our city and you deserve thanks,” Bruno said.

Emma can be reached at [email protected].