Nothing like saving the worst for last.
The city is preparing to embark on replacement of the last of the worst documented sanitary sewer pipes in the city this spring.
The City of Trail has awarded a $517,000 tender for the work to be done on Binns Street and the alley between Cedar and Bay avenues, putting a full length lining in the sanitary sewer pipes as part of its Trenchless Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation program.
After a 2006 video inspection of the sanitary sewer system in East and West Trail, Sunningdale and Shaver’s Bench, several pipes were identified as category five (worst), said Chris MacIsaac, the city’s utility superintendent, and were red flagged as needing to be replaced.
Much of the city’s sanitary sewer system is 60 to 80 years old, said MacIsaac, meaning several kilometres of pipe were in need of replacement.
“What we are trying to do is just complete the worst pipes, which are category five and four systems,” he said. “Full on replacement of all (problem) pipes right now would be too costly.”
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The original inspection eight years ago turned up a potential multi-million dollar bill for the all of the work needed, and so it was deemed the cost would be spread out over several years.
The next bite out of the bill is the 2013 project, considered “hard to get at stuff,” so the city has elected to reline the fading pipes. Relining is one third of the cost than it is to dig up a pipe and replace it.
When a pipe is relined it is categorized as new and it is put back into the lifecycle program as new. Its life span is 35 to 40 years.
“It just never goes away; it all goes in a cycle,” MacIsaac said about pipe replacement. “We just keep doing the replacement as required, the maintenance as required.”
Work begins on the line in March, weather pending. There will be some traffic disruptions but no road closures.
As well, there will be some service disruptions when the work is being done. Local residents and businesses will be notified 24 to 48 hours in advance that they will have no sewer service.
In January of 2012 the 2011 Trenchless Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation program was awarded to Kamloops’ Jet Vac Limited (KJV). Due a plethora of equipment, weather and manpower issues, KJV was unable to complete the contract as awarded.
In September, 2012 it was determined that KJV lacked the technical expertise to finish the work as tendered. At that time it was decided that the best course of action was to cancel the contract.
“When you are working with storm systems and the weather (doesn’t cooperate) it doesn’t help anything,” said MacIsaac.
Some items from the previous contract will carry over, including a full length lining of the storm sewer main from Binns Street to Old Rossland Avenue, and a full length lining of the sanitary sewer main in the 1300 block alley between Cedar and Bay avenues (alley behind Shoppers Drug Mart).
As well, the remaining sewer rehabilitation works required on grade four and five sewers in West and East Trail will be done, MacIsaac said.
The city awarded the contract to Mar-Tech Underground Services as tendered in the amount of $517,038 plus HST.
Video inspection of the lines in the neighbourhoods of Glenmerry, Muriel Heights and Wantea are left to do.