Cross Connection Removal Project

Portions of the City of Modesto’s storm runoff are diverted into the sanitary sewer system through what is known as cross connections. There are 54 known cross connections throughout the city. In most cases, a cross pipe from a surface inlet or from a rock well directly connects to a sewer manhole.

During heavy storm events, these cross connections overburden the sewer system, increase the cost for the wastewater treatment plant to treat the stormwater, and occasionally lead to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). The 2007 City of Modesto Waste Water Master Plan (WWMP) proposed to remove the cross connections due to this increased burden and cost.

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Phase Three: Pike Park

The project will remove non-functioning dry wells and stormwater to sanitary sewer cross connections, install an underground water storage system at J.M. Pike Park, and replace water mains, meters, laterals, and fire hydrants in select locations throughout the neighborhood. J.M. Pike Park and some of its recreational facilities will be impacted during construction but will be restored and refreshed following construction activities.

Construction will begin in the Summer of 2022 and will last through the Winter of 2024.

Project Overview (PDF)

Phase Two: Roosevelt Park

Construction began in the Fall of 2018 and was completed in the Summer of 2019. With this phase, improvements to the City’s sewer system were achieved by removing 6 existing storm-to-sewer cross connections that currently overburden the sanitary sewer system during storm events. The removal of these cross connections not only provides significant benefits for the sanitary sewer system but also directly implements much-needed improvements to the Roosevelt Park neighborhood.

Phase One: Garrison Park

The first phase of cross connection removal was completed in November 2014 and was referred to as Phase 1 Garrison Park. The project removed three cross connections and twenty failed rock wells in the Carver-Orangeburg area.

Several hundred feet of storm drain piping were installed to convey stormwater from an approximate 24-acre tributary area to nearby Garrison Park where the stormwater is pre-treated and then stored in underground percolation chambers. Additional benefits of the project are the reduction of local street flooding, improved water quality, and groundwater recharge.