Rowlett Lakeshore Times > News
Trouble in the pipes: Deterioration of force main leads to failure
A photo shows the deterioration to the top of a sewer pipe at the city's Westside Lift Station. Due to the extent of the damage, the city hired a contractor to replace 194 feet of the pipe. - Photo courtesy of the city of Rowlett
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
The city of Rowlett recently had a force main failure at the Westside Lift Station. The city council on Tuesday, Feb. 5, approved funding for emergency repairs to correct the issues at the lift station.
The city staff was able to formulate a plan to temporarily overcome the issue until repairs can be made. The Westside Lift Station, which is located at the northwest edge of Lake Ray Hubbard and Lakeview Parkway, receives and pumps approximately 60 percent of the city of Rowlett's sanitary sewage.
"These guys put together a plan and we took what would be chaos in some communities and turned it into a routine occurrence. There were no disruptions to anyone's service," said Jim Proce, public works director. "The affected pipe handles two-thirds of the city's sewage and it went virtually unnoticed. This could not have gone better had we planned it a year ago."
The issue was discovered when a citizen called the city's Utility Division on Jan. 13 to report a gaping hole in the ground next to the DART bus stop near the Burger King located at 2507 Lakeview. The hole was near the odor control vault at the last few segments of the 36-inch force main at the approximate location where the flow changes to gravity conditions.
"We have an aging system and there are issues out there that we are well aware of and this is one of them," Proce said. "When it was put together many years ago it was done improperly."
Once the issue was discovered, the city staff evaluated the pipe and determined they could not excavate the line due to a lack of manpower and equipment. Tri-Con Services Inc., a local business, was called in to do the excavation. After a pipe inspection was done by Metro Pipe Inspection, it was determined the pipe would need to have the section replaced due to the extent of the deterioration. The camera inspection determined the line failure extended more than 150 feet to the east of the initial location.
Repairs were made to replace 154 feet of the pipe, and there were still holes present beyond that. It was determined that replacing another 40 feet of pipe would reach a point where the pipe is underwater and less likely to deteriorate as rapidly. The total cost for the replacement of 194 feet of pipe is estimated at $185,000. The council approved $225,000, with $40,000 set aside for contingency costs, to cover the cost of the emergency repairs.
"I am told it will be somewhere less than $200,000," said Tom Harris, city engineer.
The city staff has begun working on a plan to rehab the balance of the force main to prevent future issues.
"We are going to look at different alternatives," Harris said. "We will repair it as it becomes necessary."
The city staff was able to formulate a plan to temporarily overcome the issue until repairs can be made. The Westside Lift Station, which is located at the northwest edge of Lake Ray Hubbard and Lakeview Parkway, receives and pumps approximately 60 percent of the city of Rowlett's sanitary sewage.
"These guys put together a plan and we took what would be chaos in some communities and turned it into a routine occurrence. There were no disruptions to anyone's service," said Jim Proce, public works director. "The affected pipe handles two-thirds of the city's sewage and it went virtually unnoticed. This could not have gone better had we planned it a year ago."
The issue was discovered when a citizen called the city's Utility Division on Jan. 13 to report a gaping hole in the ground next to the DART bus stop near the Burger King located at 2507 Lakeview. The hole was near the odor control vault at the last few segments of the 36-inch force main at the approximate location where the flow changes to gravity conditions.
"We have an aging system and there are issues out there that we are well aware of and this is one of them," Proce said. "When it was put together many years ago it was done improperly."
Once the issue was discovered, the city staff evaluated the pipe and determined they could not excavate the line due to a lack of manpower and equipment. Tri-Con Services Inc., a local business, was called in to do the excavation. After a pipe inspection was done by Metro Pipe Inspection, it was determined the pipe would need to have the section replaced due to the extent of the deterioration. The camera inspection determined the line failure extended more than 150 feet to the east of the initial location.
Repairs were made to replace 154 feet of the pipe, and there were still holes present beyond that. It was determined that replacing another 40 feet of pipe would reach a point where the pipe is underwater and less likely to deteriorate as rapidly. The total cost for the replacement of 194 feet of pipe is estimated at $185,000. The council approved $225,000, with $40,000 set aside for contingency costs, to cover the cost of the emergency repairs.
"I am told it will be somewhere less than $200,000," said Tom Harris, city engineer.
The city staff has begun working on a plan to rehab the balance of the force main to prevent future issues.
"We are going to look at different alternatives," Harris said. "We will repair it as it becomes necessary."
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