Sewer Lining Project | City of Marengo | August / September 2026
The City of Marengo will soon be undertaking sewer lining work in several identified areas throughout the community. This project is an important investment in maintaining and improving our existing wastewater infrastructure while being responsible with taxpayer dollars.
Rather than excavating streets, removing existing sewer pipe and installing entirely new pipe, the City is utilizing a trenchless sewer rehabilitation process known as cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining in locations where the existing pipe is suitable for rehabilitation.
Why Is the City Lining Sewer Pipes?
Sewer infrastructure naturally deteriorates over time. Cracks, deteriorated joints, groundwater infiltration, root intrusion and other defects can affect the performance and longevity of a sewer system. Sewer lining allows the City to address these issues by installing a new structural liner INSIDE the existing pipe. The liner is inserted into the existing sewer and cured in place, creating a new, seamless pipe on the inside of the existing pipe.
This approach provides several important benefits:
- It extends the useful life of existing infrastructure. Rather than replacing an entire sewer immediately, lining can rehabilitate an existing pipe and provide decades of additional service.
- It reduces groundwater infiltration. Sealing cracks and joints can help prevent unwanted groundwater from entering the sanitary sewer system. Reducing this infiltration can improve system efficiency and reduce unnecessary flows that ultimately have to be treated.
- It improves structural integrity. The cured liner creates a new pipe within the existing pipe, helping address deterioration and providing additional structural strength.
- It minimizes disruption to the community. Because the process is trenchless, extensive excavation is generally not required. This means significantly less disturbance to streets, driveways, sidewalks, landscaping and surrounding properties than traditional open-cut replacement.
- It reduces construction impacts. Less excavation can mean less heavy equipment, less hauling of excavated material and less restoration of pavement and other surfaces.
- It provides a significant cost savings compared with traditional replacement
One of the most important advantages of sewer lining is cost efficiency. Traditional sewer replacement generally requires crews to excavate the roadway, expose the existing pipe, remove, and dispose of the old pipe, install new pipe, backfill the excavation and reconstruct the roadway and other surfaces that were disturbed. Sewer lining can accomplish the rehabilitation without undertaking that same level of excavation and restoration. While the actual savings vary depending on the location, depth, pipe condition, roadway and site-specific circumstances, trenchless rehabilitation can be substantially less expensive than full excavation and replacement. This allows the City to address more infrastructure needs while making responsible use of available public funds. The goal is not simply to spend less today—it is to maximize the amount of infrastructure improvement the City can accomplish with each taxpayer dollar.
How Long Will the Liner Last?
Cured-in-place pipe is designed as a long-term rehabilitation solution. Industry specifications commonly call for a design life of 50 years or greater, depending on the application, materials, design and installation. EPA research examining CIPP installations found that properly designed and installed liners should meet and likely exceed a typical 50-year expected design life. This provides the City with a long-term solution for extending the life of portions of our existing sewer collection system.
Is Sewer Lining a New Technology?
No. While residents may not see this type of work being performed as often as traditional excavation, cured-in-place pipe technology is not a new or experimental process. CIPP has been used for sewer rehabilitation for more than 50 years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has documented the increasing use of trenchless rehabilitation technologies, and industry research has found CIPP installations that have been in service for decades. Today, trenchless sewer rehabilitation is a well-established method used by communities throughout the United States and internationally. It has become an increasingly common tool for municipalities looking to rehabilitate aging infrastructure while limiting disruption and controlling costs. The City of Marengo’s own planning documents have previously identified sewer lining as a potential means of reducing groundwater infiltration into the City’s wastewater system.
A Quick Tip for Residents During Construction
Residents in areas where sewer lining work is taking place should try to keep toilet seats/lids down during the work. As an additional precaution, residents may place a layer of plastic wrap, such as Saran Wrap, over the toilet bowl beneath the seat/lid and then close the lid.
During certain portions of the sewer lining process, temporary changes in air pressure within the sewer system can occur. These pressure changes can potentially cause water in a toilet bowl or trap to be displaced. Keeping the toilet lid down, and using plastic wrap as an additional precaution, may help reduce the possibility of water being blown or displaced out of the toilet and onto the bathroom floor. This is a simple precaution that takes only a few seconds and may help prevent an unpleasant mess while the work is underway. If you do experience an issue like this please contact the site contractor project manager Ethan Okayama either by phone at (815) 219-5044 or by email at eokayama@hoerr.com
Investing in Marengo’s Future
Maintaining underground infrastructure is an ongoing responsibility of every municipality. Much of the City’s most important infrastructure is out of sight, but it remains essential to the health, safety and daily operation of our community.
By utilizing sewer lining where appropriate, the City can:
- Protect and extend the life of existing sewer infrastructure.
- Reduce unnecessary excavation and disruption.
- Reduce the amount of roadway and surface restoration required.
- Help address infiltration and deterioration.
- Provide a long-term rehabilitation solution.
And, importantly, CIPP makes more efficient use of public funds than would be possible through traditional full-depth excavation and replacement in many locations. This project represents the City’s continued commitment to proactive infrastructure maintenance, responsible fiscal management and providing reliable wastewater service to the Marengo community for decades to come.
