Circle of sewage

Excavators recently dug up the roundabout outside the CN&R office at Second and Flume streets and discovered something nasty.

The problem dates back to when the Second Street Couplet project was completed in 2013, said Brendan Ottoboni, the city’s director of public works-engineering. The public sewer line wasn’t fully connected to lateral lines hooking up nearby businesses Sierra Central Credit Union and Chico Creek Wellness, which caused sewage to pool and eventually back up. Last week, workers properly connected the lines.

As far as landscaping the roundabout’s bare dirt, Ottoboni said, that’s been on the back-burner because Public Works staff has had its hands full. “There’s capital project money to do it,” he said. “It’s a matter of when we can actually get to it. It’s a great opportunity to finish off that project.”