| More than $58,000 in repairs approved for SF sewer system | | Posted: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 10:00 pm
| By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
Over $58,000 in repairs to a failing sewer line were authorized by the South Fulton City Commission during an emergency meeting Monday afternoon.
The emergency commission meeting was called to address a problem with the city’s sewer system just off Harris Drive behind the old football field at the former South Fulton High School.
South Fulton Public Works director Wesley Joyner said the problem was caused by a clay sewer pipe which has bells pulling apart, allowing groundwater and dirt to seep in.
“There’s a potential of the sewer backing up, and if it does, it will run into Harris Creek — and that will be a violation on our city,” he told commissioners.
Joyner explained the old clay pipe was installed years ago. At every end is a bell, which is a bigger section that comes out and allows the smaller section of the next pipe to fit in. He said over the years, as the ground has settled, it has wiggled and pulled apart. As a result, when it rains, there is a section where water comes down through it and sucks in dirt, resulting in sinkholes.
He said the repair needs to be done as soon as possible, explaining he had already spoken with the crew that did the city’s earlier sewer rehabilitation.
The bid proposal from Latham Backhoe & Dozer Service of Lewisburg, Ky., totals $58,200 and includes installing a new 16-inch poly pipe to replace the clay line that has separated and is causing sinkholes in the field. The line will be installed by the pipe burst method between manhole E-11 and manhole E-10.
Joyner said the crew will be on the scene today to do the pipe bursting, a procedure where one solid pipe is inserted from one manhole to the next, with no bells or joints to pull apart in the future.
State law allows cities to waive the competitive bidding provisions of the municipal purchasing law in order to promptly respond to an emergency. A potential threat to public health or well-being constitutes an emergency, according to information from the Municipal Technical Advisory Service that city manager Debra Craig provided to commissioners Monday.
Joyner said the state Department of Environment and Conservation’s Jackson field office is also being notified of the emergency and the city’s intentions to make the repair.
Commissioners voted to declare the sewer main break between the two manholes an emergency and authorized the city manager to expend the necessary funds to make the repair without seeking competitive bids.
The action was approved 4-0 by Mayor Ed Cassetty and commissioners Scott Ellegood, Thomas Pettigrew and Beatrice Wilcox. Commissioner Tony Perry was absent from the emergency session, which lasted just five minutes.
Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by email at cmenees@ucmessenger.com.
Published in The Messenger 4.23.13 | | | | |
