JOHN COFFELTEditor

Chronic manhole overflows caused by rainwater entering the city sewer system has plagued the department for over 10 years.

The city is now in the process of using video drones to find breaks in the system.

A section of line just downstream from the Duck River crossing near Gateway Tire, main interceptor line, is thought to contain a large amount of debris.

The city bid out telescoping of large line because it was too large for the department to handle in-house, but that job was literally blocked by a cinder block in the line. Lumber, a hammer, a crowbar and other debris has been removed from that line.

“We know we have problems in the interceptor lines,” said acting Water Department Director Kevin Raney. “We’ve never been able to (telescope them) ourselves.”

Raney said that from the 7-11 pump station to the soccer fields is likely full of sediment and debris.

“We have a heavy rain event these lines will surcharge,” he said. But at the pump station, only two of the five pumps would be running at only partial capacity.

“That tells me we have problems in that line because (wastewater) is just not getting to the plant,” Raney said.

He said that in his estimation, a heavy cleaning in that interceptor and from the gravity line from the wastewater treatment plant to Spring Street may make a huge impact on the amount of overflows.

A request for bid package is currently being compiled for a project to clean out the lines. A rough guess for the project would cost $500,000-750,000.

Raney said that correcting overflows is the department’s number one priority.

“We’ve been working diligently, Raney said. “It’s definitely our top priority. It’s not a fix that happens overnight.”

Local activist Sarah Bradley made a public comment to the commission that “manholes A-43 under Spring Street Bridge and P-43 in Fred Deadman Park have overflowed at least nine times in the last three months.”

She said these told members that these she observed on foot meet the threshold for being considered chronic by the state.

Department narrowly misses catastrophic failure

Plans to move the a portion of the sewer infrastructure are in place after one of two pumps failed at the West End Circle pump station that pushes wastewater into the forced main that runs to the treatment plant.

“If something would have happened to that one pump, it would have been bad,” Raney told the commission.

The repair company engineered a way to retrofit a wet-well pump in the place of a dry-well pump. The repair cost the city about $26,000.

The pump station that dates back to the 1940s is essentially beyond repair. Raney and water and sewer engineer Adam Carter agreed that the station should be moved to Short Street.

In addition to the other pump that needs overhauling for an additional $26,000, the current station’s wet well has leaks that is an Inflow and infiltration (I&I) problem.

Raney said that a patch on the wet well would only be temporary.

Carter said that a station on Short Street would have a higher elevation on the gravity sewer. That would allow the pumps to completely flush out the station rather than the current station that never is fully flushed.

“Functionally, that would be the best,” Carter said. “There are cost involved, but I would thing that functionally (moving it to Short Street) would be the best.”

The Water Commission voted to recommend proceeded with the project to relocate a new pump station to Short Street.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.