The city of Ceres will be spending $1.18 million to replace the sewer line in Service Road from Central Avenue to Moffet Road, to help with flows.

The Ceres City Council approved a contract with Mozingo Construction, Inc., of Oakdale, for $1,077,076.

The contract calls for the replacement of an existing 18-inch sewer trunk line with a 42-inch line to relieve "surcharging" in the lateral sewer lines on Collins Road and Moffet Road.

Deputy City Manager/City Engineer Toby Wells said sewer pipes are designed to flow at half full and any flow above this capacity could backup sewage up to the level of street manholes and affect toilets and sinks from flushing properly.

"The sanitary sewer master plan concluded this sewer trunk line is necessary to reduce the chances of an overflow," said Wells.

The extension will also relieve surcharging occurring in the Don Pedro Road line which connects to a line in Moffet Road.

About $465,000 of the project is being funded by a grant issued to the city by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The city hopes to start construction by early December with a 45-day work schedule that could be hampered by any rains.