Sewer problems are a constant headache for most municipalities, but Kimball seems to experience more than its fair share.
At the Kimball Board of Mayor and Alderman's February meeting, Alderman Mark Payne said the town is experiencing issues with the sewer pumps at its main lift station near the Hampton Inn on U.S. Highway 2.
One pump has been removed because it was only moving about 68 gallons per minute, and Payne said the other is only at 64 percent of normal capacity.
Maintenance supervisor Mike Nelson said a pump should be at about 300 gallons per minute.
Mayor Rex PesnellThe town didn't buy the first two pumps that were installed in the new system in 2012, Mayor Rex Pesnell said.
Instead, Hampton Inn, which decided to build at the site, was required to do so because it was necessary to relocate the existing pump station.
Those pumps were discontinued in 2013 due to motor and impeller problems, Nelson said.
He said Kimball bought a new pump in 2015 for $13,070 from Carolina Pumpworks in Port Royal, S.C.
"I discussed it with them [the company], and I felt like we sort of got a raw deal," Nelson said. "When we started it, it was already obsolete."
The company offered to sell two of the upgraded pumps Kimball needs for $13,780.
"So, it's just a little over what we paid for one," Nelson said. "They did work with us."
He said Carolina Pumpworks has assured him there won't be any changes to the model in the foreseeable future, and that the town will get a five-year warranty with the new pumps.
Pesnell said the board needed to act on an "emergency purchase" of the needed equipment and encouraged its members to approve up to $15,000 for the purchase to cover shipping and other related costs.
"If one goes out, we're in trouble," he said.
The board voted unanimously to do so.
In other business, the board approved unanimously the purchase of a Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool for $6,250 in partnership with South Pittsburg, Jasper and Sewanee.
Each town will contribute the same amount to buy the equipment that Pesnell described as a "revolutionary acoustic inspection tool for wastewater collection systems."
The towns will share the use of the blockage detector that allows officials to know where to focus their attention when it comes to sewer mitigation.
"If it saves us just 15 percent of what we needed to [inspect] on our lines, it would more than pay for itself," Payne said. "We've got a lot of lines that need to be tested."
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.