Sterling approves disaster declaration after NJC sewer line failure

Sterling approved a disaster declaration after a sewer line failure on the Northeastern Junior College campus forced crews to install a temporary bypass and keep wastewater moving near the NJC Events Center. City Public Works said it found a sinkhole beside a manhole on one of the city’s primary sanitary sewer trunk mains, and investigation showed the pipe had failed.

The city said crews were establishing a temporary bypass pumping system so permanent repairs could be completed safely. Officials also said the work was complicated by the depth of the sewer, a detail that pointed to a repair that was more than a routine campus plumbing fix and more like a public-works emergency affecting a major utility line.

For NJC, the failure landed on one of Sterling’s most important institutions. The college’s main campus at 100 College Ave. has six residence halls and can house more than 575 students, making it the largest two-year residential college in Colorado. That puts the sewer problem squarely in the path of student housing, daily classes, administrative operations and the flow of students, faculty, staff and visitors through the campus.

NJC also sits inside a broader state system, becoming part of the Colorado Community College and Occupational Education System in July 1997. That connection matters because a utility failure on campus is not just a building issue for one school, but a disruption that can touch a wider educational pipeline in Logan County, especially when residence halls and high-traffic facilities are involved.

The disaster declaration came against a backdrop of long-running wastewater strain in Sterling. A 2019 editorial said the city needed wastewater system upgrades, work moved ahead in 2023 on replacing the force main for the city sewer system, and a 2022 report said wastewater projects had stalled while contractors waited for pipe and other parts. Together, those earlier repairs and delays show why a failed trunk main near NJC quickly became an emergency response issue rather than a simple maintenance call.

The declaration signaled that city leaders saw the problem as serious enough to justify accelerated action, emergency coordination and potentially special spending or contracting procedures. For Sterling and Logan County, the immediate task was to keep wastewater flowing while crews bought time for a permanent fix on a line that serves one of the city’s most visible campuses.