Eureka cracks down on sewer - Wayne-Wilson News Leader, Fremont, NC

3 April 2008 — Despite spending almost a year rehabilitating town sewer lines, the Town of Eureka is still experiencing a large amount of rainwater infiltration into their sewer lines. At their monthly meeting on Tuesday night, the board gathered with members from TA Loving to determine where the problems still are and how they can be fixed.

When initial repairs began and the town was in a drought season, sewer bills were averaging $4,000 a month. The town hoped the normalization of their bills was based on the repairs, but feared the drought was having a bigger impact.

In January, after the rain started to fall again, the latter proved to be true.

This month’s bill, based on only 22 days, was reminiscent of the high costs before rehab ever began, topping out just over $17,000.

Mayor Steve Howell said that the town is being billed for purchasing a half million gallons of water each month from Belfast-Patetown Water District. This month, the town was billed for 3 million gallons of water, six times the amount of water that actually went through the system.

Tuesday night, Kenneth Smith of TA Loving told the board that the primary problem evolved from an earlier issue with service taps. Holes were cut larger than the pipes feeding into them, which left a gap. TA Loving then had special saddles fitted to the pipes to seal in that space.

However, many of the irregularly-shaped openings still have small leaks. Mr. Smith said that around 47 of the 102 service taps worked on during the project have leaks that range from pinholes to the diameter of a pencil.

Other problems included a collapsed section of liner that will need to be taken out and replaced, and pinholes in sections of the liner in several lines.

“The saddles sealed well in places, but where they didn’t there are leaks,” Mr. Smith said.

The company plans to resolve this problem with a process called chemical grouting. A machine with a camera will go into the line and find leaks. A grouting compound will then be pressure applied to the leak. The compound mixes with the leaking water and forms a seal in the hole.

The grout sets within 45 seconds, and the machine then packs the sides of the line to clear the line for wastewater. The grout has a lifetime of at least 50 years, added Mr. Smith.

Mayor Howell asked for references from other towns that have used this chemical grouting system. Mr. Smith said he would supply him with a list of references.

Commissioner Myrtie Sauls said she felt sure that TA Loving would repair the holes in the sewer taps effectively. However, she questioned whether their problem was really caused by a handful of pencil-sized leaks.

She added that even if the grouting worked, the town was still experiencing infiltration up until the project is complete.

“We need this fixed before the next cloud rolls through,” she said.

Mr. Smith said that the company who will be supplying the grout and labor are currently working a job in Boston, but they will begin by April 14 and can have the job finished in two weeks.

After the representatives from TA Loving departed, the board continued to discuss their problem with Representative Louis Pate, who also attended the meeting.

Mayor Howell explained that if the town continues to incur the kind of debt they are generating with their sewer bills, it will be impossible to run the town in a few years.

“We’re going to find ourselves in a position where we’ll have to run this town on $96,000 if we manage to pay off this debt,” he said.

Currently, the town is operating on a budget of $141,000.

Mr. Pate asked the town about the option of switching sewer to lagoons, which they had discussed in the past.

Mrs. Sauls said when they had inquired with state representatives, they were told it would be impossible for them to obtain a permit to use lagoons for a few years while they worked on paying their debt.

“If we went back to the lagoons for two or three years, we’d be back on our feet,” said Mayor Howell.

But he added that, after getting back on their feet and switching back to the sewer lines, the town would likely be in the same position they are now after a few years.

He encouraged Mr. Pate to work with the state government on a set of exceptions for small towns, and Mr. Pate wholeheartedly agreed.

“We have different rules for counties that are low-income, and schools in small communities,” he said. “I don’t see why we don’t do the same thing at the municipal level.”

Back to this week's News Leader

TOP AREA JOBS

Jump-start your career today!

Issue of 3 April 2008

Wayne Wilson News Leader
113 N. Wilson St., PO Box 158,
Fremont, NC 27830
(919) 242-6301 •
Fax (919) 936-2065

Princeton News Leader
119 W. Edwards St., Princeton, NC 27569
(919) 936-9891
Fax (919) 936-2065

Email us:
Advertising Department
News Department
Letters To The Editor
Publisher