On the night of Friday, July 3, an intense band of thunderstorms moved across Northwest Indiana, dropping a large amount of rain in a very short period. Preliminary National Weather Service information indicates that rainfall rates at the peak of the storm exceeded three inches per hour, with several inches accumulating over just a few hours on top of soaking rains earlier in the holiday weekend. That combination overwhelmed drainage systems across the region and led to flooding at the headworks building of the Hammond Sanitary District (HSD) Wastewater Treatment Plant.
During the height of the storm, it appears both incoming utility power feeds serving the facility fluctuated for a period of time and power was lost. When the plant’s backup generator started and power was reintroduced, some of the electrical equipment in the headworks had already been affected by floodwater, which caused protective breakers to trip. This is exactly what those breakers are designed to do — they de-energize equipment to protect it and to keep personnel safe.
Because of those safety trips, pumping could not resume automatically. It was not until electricians arrived on site and systematically brought individual sections of the headworks back online — carefully verifying each section before energizing the next — that pumping operations were able to resume. By that time, normal utility power had been all or partially restored.
Since the storm, outside contractors and HSD plant personnel have been working around the clock to bring the facility back to full capacity. At the same time, a full risk assessment is being conducted so that we understand exactly what happened, how our systems and procedures performed, and what improvements will make the plant more resilient against future extreme-weather events.
“I want to thank the plant operators, the electricians, our contractors, and our public works crews for their tireless work under difficult conditions”, stated Milan Kruszynski, District Manager, HSD. “Their response protected our infrastructure and our community. I also want to assure Hammond residents that public safety and the protection of our waterways remain our highest priorities as recovery continues.”
Please note that the details above reflect preliminary information. The investigation into the cause and sequence of events is ongoing, and some findings may be updated as that work is completed. The City and the Hammond Sanitary District will continue to keep the public informed.
“This was an extraordinary storm that tested our systems, stated Mayor McDermott. “Our team’s response kept a difficult situation from becoming far worse, and we are already at work identifying what we can do better. We will be transparent with our residents as we learn more.”