3RD PARTY BILLPAY INFO - UTILITY P.O. Box UPDATED

NOTE! Our new PO Box address appears below in red. If you are a customer who utilizes a 3rd party Bill Pay process, please update the utility mailing address in that system. 

Payment Processing 

PO Box 1366 

Indianapolis, IN 46206-1366 

If you are currently paying your utility bill through your bank or a payment processor, you will need to update the PO Box information to avoid having your payment returned. Please make sure the entire utility account number is associated with your payment with your payment processor. If the account number is not complete, it may cause a delay in posting your payment. 

It is also a good idea to check your account set up to ensure that the Utility has current contact information on file, such as phone number and/or email. Contact information is very important in case we need to contact you regarding an emergency or for Utility Billing-related issues. Please contact the billing office at 317-542-0511 if you have any questions.

2021 Consumer Confidence Report

The City of Lawrence Utility’s 2021 CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT (CCR) is now available by typing the following URL address into your address bar (not your search bar): https://tinyurl.com/consumerreport2021 

The CCR is an annual report that contains information of interest as well as water quality testing data for the previous years’ regulatory testing requirements. 

If you would like to have a paper copy mailed to you, please call the Business Office at (317) 542-0511 and request a copy.

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY

There is no lack of construction activity underway in Lawrence, with stormwater improvements, water main replacements, sanitary sewer rehab as well as our water treatment plant improvements projects. We can now add the IndyGO Purple Line Project into the mix. Thus, our residents and businesses should be aware and prepared for lane restrictions and/or closures, and allow additional travel time if traveling in the impacted areas. 

Water Main Work Underway now: 

• Wallingwood Drive between 56th to Boy Scout Road 
• Franklin Road from Pendleton Pike north to Barksdale Drive 
• Hermosa/Fall Creek Drive west of Indian Lake Road 

Water Main Work coming soon: 

• 46th Street from Franklin Road to Shadeland 
• McGuire Court 
• Elmhurst Drive from 46th to 47th 
• Woodcroft Drive from 46th to 47th 
• Richardt Street from 48th to 56th 

Stormwater Improvements underway now: 

• Trades District (Franklin to I-465; Pendleton Pike to CSX Tracks) 
• Richardt Street (from 47th Street north to 48th; 48th from Richardt to Mitchner; Sadlier and Hartman Drives between 46th and 47th 

The stormwater improvements above are being performed by Indianapolis DPW per the agreement reached with them when responsibility for stormwater improvements were transferred to Lawrence upon our withdrawal from the Indianapolis Stormwater District. The Stormwater Utility Director for Lawrence is Sri Venugopalan and any questions concerning these or upcoming stormwater improvements may be directed to him via the City website or by calling (317) 545-5566

2022 SANITARY SEWER REHAB PROJECT

This project went out to bid in March and in April we will award the project and begin work. The work consists of sanitary sewer main replacement and lining, lateral repair and lining, manhole rehabilitation and other incidental work. Funding for this project comes from our State Water Infrastructure Grant with a matching amount coming from our ARPA funds. 

This project will focus on older parts of the City such as:

• Harrison Park east of Franklin Road
• Richardt to Shadeland Way and 56th to 52nd
• Pendleton Pike to CSX tracks, from Mehaffey Street to Bragdon Street.

Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) of clear water sources such as rain and groundwater, sump pump discharges, and prohibited connections such as gutter drains and perimeter drains, are at the root of our Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) issues. This has resulted in our two EPA orders, the first in 2008 and the second one in 2021. Had the Utility management addressed these issues under the first order, when we were supposed to, we would not be looking at a second EPA order. Instead, SSO’s and adequate funding were left for future administrations and utility managers to deal with, which we are trying to do now. 

Introduction of clear water into the sanitary sewer greatly reduces system capacity that is supposed to be for sewage. The solution is not to build bigger pipes and add treatment plant capacity, but rather to free up capacity by getting the clear water sources out, while also restoring structural integrity to our system. This will eliminate the rain-derived SSO issues, improve system performance and reliability and lower treatment costs. 

Our sewage treatment costs are increasing annually until 2025 when Phase I of the CEG sewer rate increase is completed. During the period 2019 to 2025, we are not subject to any CEG increases approved by the IURC during that period. However, in 2026 we will start a 4-year period wherein we will see rate increases that will get us to the full Sewer Rate No. 6 category that we are in under their rate structure. 

Thinking ahead, by doing these things now, we will be in a position in the future to minimize future rate increases. Rate increases are a fact, which I think we all realize. We should be operating our utilities so that we are not waiting 10 years and longer to adjust rates, resulting in large increases. 

Thus, the Utility is working to prepare a rate increase proposal for the sanitary sewer system and we hope to have that adopted in the next few months. This is a must-do situation, as the EPA Order requires that we fix our system and eliminate our SSO’s. We should have done so the first time around, but there was no support for the necessary rate increases to fund improvements at the level required to address the issues.

RAINY SEASON NOTES

As the rainy season is upon us, Lawrence DPW asks that residents and businesses please be mindful of keeping the ditches and stormwater inlet structures on their property free and clear of debris such as trash, leaves and sticks. These items will impede flow into the structures and result in localized flooding. It is also a good time to make sure you clean your gutters and downspouts too. 

The Street Department also wishes to remind us all that it is the property owner’s responsibility to keep trees trimmed back from the right of way. Tree branches must be a minimum of 10-feet above sidewalks. 

I also want to give a big “THANK YOU” to the several people I see out routinely cleaning up trash along their properties and along roadsides. We greatly appreciate your time and effort! You know who you are and please know that people do notice and appreciate your efforts!