Madera receives $2M for storm drain, sewer main projects
MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Madera has received $2 million in federal funds for its storm drain and sewer main projects.
Congressman John Duarte helped present the city of Madera with $2 million in federal funding that will go towards over three miles of pipelines.
Madera to get $2M to improve drainage, sewage
The 2023 storms posed a serious challenge to the city’s storm and sewer systems.
“In 2023, in early January, I was sworn in and became a newly sworn-in congressman. Freshman congressman right as the torrential rains and flooding here happening all up and down the valley. I got a picture from Mayor Santos Garcia of Madeira here where one of his sewer trunk lines blew out right in the middle of town causing a huge health and safety problem. Debilitating the sewer system for days,” said Representative John Duarte.
Congressman John Duarte joined Madera Mayor Santos Garcia and city engineers to sign $2 million worth of checks outside city hall.
“Think of me as a waiter. There’s the federal kitchen, you’re the local leader, you’re elected here locally. I’m only here to help you fulfill your priorities,” Rep. Duarte said.
With some of the intense storms the Central Valley has experienced over the past year, an upgrade to the infrastructure is needed.
“If we have a failure there, the pipe couples get to a point where we can’t covey flow, and the sewer flow could go ahead and find its way to the surface if we are not able to react quickly enough. As far as the storm drainpipe, we’ve seen flooding for a number of years at the intersection of Pine and Pecan. We’re looking to get away from that. That’s been a serious problem for property owners through there,” Rep. Duarte said.
In total, more than three miles of pipelines will be installed between the two projects.
“For both of them, we have to go ahead and complete designs on it. So the Pecan Avenue sewer will be moving forward with designs I’d imagine rather quickly with this influx of a million dollars,” Madera City Engineer Keith Helmuth said.
The funding is available through Congress’ Community Projects Program and Helmuth says the projects will soon break ground.
“Probably a year from now, which would put us into probably summer of 2025,” Helmuth said.
Both projects will cost nearly $15 million in total, and they anticipate the project to take roughly three years to complete once ground is broken.
