BROWNSTOWN
Brownstown residents take note: Sliplining of sewers is expected to begin soon.
When that starts, those living in the area of the work will be asked to not wash clothes or dishes, take showers or baths and flush toilets and to turn off sump pumps that are connected to the sewer service for a four- to six-hour period.
That will allow workers with Insituform Technologies LLC to install a liner from one manhole to another.
It will take between three and six hours to cure the pipe, said Scott Hunsucker, superintendent of Brownstown Wastewater Utility.
A couple of days before Insituform workers do sliplining in a neighborhood, they will either place a door hanger or talk to homeowners and business owners letting them know when their sewer access will temporarily be shut off.
Clerk-Treasurer David Willey said he also will include reminders on town utility bills.
People will be asked to preserve water as much as possible to avoid backup of sewer water in residences and businesses.
“The only capacity you’ll have is in your lateral. It’s not getting to the sewer main. It will not go into the main until they come back and cut them out after it is cured,” Hunsucker said.
“They’re going to be doing (the work) during the day, so a majority of people are going to be at work.”
The sliplining is scheduled to start April 21 and be completed by May 4.
Most of the work will be in manholes on the streets, but there are a few to repair behind homes. Hunsucker said they will have those residents sign a right of entry document to allow workers to be on their property.
In February, the town council agreed to have Insituform rehabilitate Priority 1 sewer lines.
Brent Siebenthal, president of Wessler Engineering in Indianapolis, sought out contractors to submit bids for the project. He was familiar with the Missouri-based company, which brought this type of pipeline system rehabilitation to the United States and has used it worldwide for 40 years.
With at least 25 years of experience working in Indiana, Insituform had the lowest of four bids at $497,798.10.
In July, Brownstown learned it would receive $450,000 in Wastewater Drinking Water Program grant funding from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for the first phase of the sanitary sewer collection system improvement project. The town will have to come up with $300,000 in matching funds, which most likely will be done through a bond issue.
The Priority 1 sewer lines and manholes in Brownstown were determined after Wessler Engineering performed the cleaning and video inspections of the sanitary sewer system. That included smoke testing of the sewer lines, manhole inspections and pole cam, where they looked 150 to 200 feet up into each manhole.
Brownstown Wastewater Utility workers also kept track of the cleaning they performed. Based on those logs and Wessler Engineering’s data, they came up with Priority 1, Priority 2 and Priority 3 sewer lines.
The town’s sanitary sewer system was installed in the 1950s.
A lot of those sewer lines have been infiltrated with tree roots or are just old and breaking down. Sewer and surface water have been getting into the pipes, going to the town’s wastewater treatment plant and causing problems.
Insituform’s first step is televising all of the sewers, which was expected to get underway this week.
Specialized sliplining equipment then will be used to place a resin liner through a manhole. The liner is pulled through with steam or hot water and expands and conforms to existing pipe, and it forms up like PVC pipe.
To complete that work, the outside temperature has to be above freezing.
Manhole rehabilitation is scheduled for May 8 to June 4.
The whole project is expected to be completed by early October.
The rehabilitation of the sewer lines and manholes will limit the amount of water that’s going to the wastewater treatment plant.
Hunsucker said the plant is designed to handle 670,000 gallons of normal flow and averages 450,000, but during big rain events, more than 2 million gallons can enter the plant.
After the first phase of the work is completed, Hunsucker said he will reevaluate the system’s flow and look into making updates and upgrades to the town’s two lift stations.
Since the town received a grant for the first phase, the second phase will not be eligible for grant funding from OCRA until seven years transpires. That could be bonded, and the town could seek grants from other sources.
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While sliplining of sewers is being performed in Brownstown, sewer service will be temporarily sealed off for a four- to six-hour period in the area of the work.
It’s scheduled from April 21 to May 4.
To avoid backup of sewer water water into your residence or business:
- Do not wash clothes or dishes
- Do not take showers or baths
- Do not flush toilets
- Turn off sump pumps that are connected to the sewer service
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