Hartford City Crews Tackle West Elm Street Flooding with $8,000–$10,000 In-House Stormwater Project

From the Mayor's Live Stream on July 16, 2026

Hartford City utility crews are installing 440 linear feet of stormwater pipe on West Elm Street, running from Homestead to Werber in the school area. The project addresses significant neighborhood flooding — Dan Eckstein described conditions where "almost a swimming pool" would form in a resident's yard during rain events.

The work is being done entirely in-house with no outside contractor, at an estimated cost of $8,000–$10,000 for pipe and stone, plus additional paving restoration costs. Utility Director Travis Williamson emphasized the savings: "A lot cheaper for us to do these small projects in-house."

The project is a combined sewer overflow separation — removing stormwater from the combined sewer system to help Hartford City meet its federally mandated long-term control plan for CSO compliance. Crews expected to finish by July 17–18.

The project is funded through the stormwater portion of residents' utility bills, providing a concrete example of how that line item is being used.

Source: Facebook Live transcript — Mayor Live Stream with Travis Williamson, July 16, 2026

Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.