FAIRHOPE — Sewage system improvements expected to cost more than $15 million will start soon following action by the Fairhope City Council.

The council voted Monday, Sept. 26, to approve four separate projects to upgrade the sewerage system. Three of the projects, which will cost about $11 million, will be paid for with grants through the federal Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Act, known as RESTORE, city officials said.

The three RESTORE projects include a $5.84-million contract to improve lift stations, a $4.84-million contract to increase sewage storage capacity and a $463,534 contract to prevent rainwater from infiltrating the system.

Andy Bobe of Dewberry Engineering said the first contract will address several lift stations most in need of repair, but other systems will need work in the future.

"These are addressing some of the more problematic stations in the system," Bobe said. "There are others that aren't in this project that still need to be addressed, but that's going to have to be at some later date with some other funding."

The work will include replacing three lift stations and renovating three others.

"These are addressing some of the more problematic stations in the system," he said.

The storage capacity contract will also help the system deal with increased demand by adding 16-foot diameter storage wells at stations at Woodlands, Quail Creek and Twin Beech, Bobe said.

"Those are three collector stations that pick up large amounts of sewage within the system. They will become master stations with extra capacity to help convey sewage from distant parts of the system to the treatment plant," Bobe said.

Ballcon Inc. received the contract for the first two projects.

The third project to reduce infiltration was awarded to Gulf Coast Underground LLC. Bobe said cutting the amount of rainwater flowing into the pipes will also cut the demands on the sewage treatment system.

"We tried to pick the areas that we know of having some of the more problematic issues in the system," Bobe said. "Granted, this is only addressing a very small portion of the system. This is something that probably for the next 10 to 15 years this type of project could go on within the system as things continue to be inspected."

The fourth contract was awarded to A-Long Boring for the second phase of a pump station and force main maintenance going to the area near the intersection of Alabama 182 and Alabama 104, Jason Langley, city water and sewer superintendent, said.

That contract was for almost $4.69 million.

Langley said the line will include a 16-inch force main that will extend from Bishop Road near Fairhope East Elementary School, up Fairhope Avenue to Baldwin County 13, north to Alabama 104 and east to Alabama 181 to tie into the lift station being built at the site of the new Publix supermarket.

Langley said the new line will serve about 20 lift stations when completed.