A report on the city of Melfort’s sanitary sewer system has outlined its aging infrastructure.
The city’s engineering consultant Catterall & Wright has completed a Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure Master Plan – a deep dive into the inner workings of the system.
Project Manager with the City of Melfort, Kalyna Cipywnyk, told northeastNOW the study summarized what the city already knew about the sanitary sewer system.
“Like a lot of the infrastructure in Melfort it is an aging system where a lot of the pipes had been installed pre-1970,” Cipywnyk said. “That is reflected in the age and condition of our system.”
Because of the age of the pipes and manholes there is a lot of infiltration of water into the sanitary sewer system. That water needs to be treated through the lagoons and reduces the lagoon’s capacity. Some of that water infiltration comes from weeping tile connected to the sanitary sewer system, or from poor drainage from the roadway networks.
Cipywnyk said the report summarizes the sanitary sewer system’s issues so it can be presented to council and the public.
Another major issue is that 70 per cent of the sanitary sewer system is made of clay tile pipe, which Cipywnyk said is a very brittle material.
“It’s stable and sturdy when the ground is stable and sturdy, but in Melfort as many of us know we have very variable soil and clay conditions where the clay throughout the year will swell or shrink, putting pressure on those clay pipes.”
Because the clay pipes are brittle, that pressure can cause them to crack or break altogether.
Catterall & Wright also looked at the potential areas of commercial and industrial expansion, and what it would mean to service those areas.
“Would we need to install another lift station, do these kind of developments represent the opportunity to upsize our pipes and so eliminate the need for lift stations,” Cipywnyk said. “All of that development will have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on what kind of business or residential…development the landowners or the city is wanting to do.”
The study investigated the ctiy’s lagoon system and determined it meets the needs for Melfort’s current population and future growth. However, due to its age, it will require maintenance to make sure the capacity remains the same.
The recommendations in the report from Catterall & Wright said it is important to consider sequencing when planning and prioritizing the sanitary sewer system, including performing all underground utility upgrades prior to road improvements.
Over the next five years, the report recommended flushing and video inspection on main trunk sewers, removing household weeping tile connections in areas of concern, replacing brick manholes in areas of concern, inspecting lift stations, and creating an updated drawing of the existing lagoons, defining the routes of flow and operation of the lagoon.
Other priorities in the more distant future include using a camera to inspect areas of concern, creating a manhole replacement program, road regrading to get sanitary manholes out of low points, lift station or lift station pump upgrades, and upsizing pipes to improve system capacity.
Cipywnyk said the infrastructure master plans are important to evaluate the state of the infrastructure and make proactive capital project decisions for repair or renewal of their pipes and manholes.
“Having these plans in place (gives) us a starting point to develop those programs around the sanitary sewer master plan will also be a good foundation document as we create more master plans…for our water system or for any future development,” explained Cipywnyk.
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