CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Cleveland Utilities' sewer rehabilitation program has entered a new phase and soon will receive new tools for determining its success.
In a recent meeting, the utility board voted 5-0 to approve a $105,000 contract for 17 sewer flow monitoring devices with CSL Services Inc., which has provided flow monitoring services for Cleveland Utilities for the last two years.
The new 12-month contract adds three meters to the current tally of 14 devices.
The meters are critical for assessing stormwater infiltration into the wastewater network, said Craig Mullinax, vice president of Cleveland Utilities' water division.
CSL's pricing has remained the same, and its services include annual maintenance, data collection and reporting, said Mullinax.
"It's very important as we go down this route of spending money on (sewer rehabilitation), that we have the data that show that we are getting the results we are looking for," said Ken Webb, president and CEO of Cleveland Utilities.
The utility's 10-year sewer rehabilitation program - known as "Strategic Commitment to Protect the Environment," or SCOPE-10 - seeks to reduce wastewater overflows by targeting "the worst of the worst" sites of stormwater infiltration at manholes and pipes, said utility officials.
Flow monitoring devices, nontoxic smoke and closed-circuit television play a detective role in rehabilitative efforts, which include repairing or replacing damaged sections of the sewer network or internally lining them with cured resin-soaked sleeves, according to wastewater reports.
More than 8 miles of pipe and 103 manholes have been lined since August 2014, Mullinax said.
Restorative work also includes the replacement of 19 manhole castings, he said.
The sewer rehabilitation program recently has encompassed the area of Wildwood Avenue and Inman Street, which has had one major overflow, Mullinax said. The new work zone follows program efforts along the South Lee Highway corridor and western portions of the city.
In related business, the utility board voted 5-0 to approve a $582,960 project to replace 3,927 feet of 10-inch clay sewer line with 15-inch PVC sewer line located in the vicinity of Barney Lane NE, 20th Street NE and the Holly Brook subdivision.
Cleveland Utilities awarded the work contract to Norris Brothers Excavating LLC, which submitted the lowest of six competing bids for the project.
The current 10-inch line sits between two 15-inch sections of wastewater main, creating a bottleneck, Webb said.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.