Commission Approves Emergency Sanitary Sewer Line Repairs

Commission Approves Emergency Sanitary Sewer Line Repairs

The City of Pierre's annual sanitary sewer maintenance and inspection program did what it was supposed to do and discovered what the city hoped it wouldn't.

Gidget Palmer, City Project Manager, started her presentation at Tuesday's City Commission meeting with, "Every once in a while, you find something."

In this case, that something was damaged sanitary sewer pipes. They were discovered by using a city camera that is lowered into the sewer system to check the condition of the lines.

Palmer asked the commission to approve an emergency repair contract to fix the broken pipes prior to winter.

"We want to avoid the freeze-thaw cycle and spring soil saturation," said Palmer. "Once the line fails, we can end up with soil in the line causing backups, and, if the surrounding soil sluffs, voids which could jeopardize other utility lines situated above the sanitary sewer."

The City Commission agreed to the request and unanimously passed the $162,000 contract with MOCON Pacific, a specialized contractor the city has used before to fix sewer pipes. The company uses an Ultraviolet Cured Liner that essentially creates a new pipe within the existing pipe.

Commissioner Jamie Huizenga commented that new technology has assisted with these projects.

"We don't need to tear up a big chunk of road or boulevard with the lining process; it happens without causing any real disruption to the public."

The work is scheduled to start in late October and be wrapped up by December. No service interruptions are anticipated.

The City of Pierre maintains more than 75 miles of sanitary sewer line. Each year, staff use a camera to inspect underground sewer lines for vulnerabilities.

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