MANSFIELD — The city will advertise for bids for the 2018 Sanitary Sewer Inflow and Infiltration Reduction project.
The project involves the rehabilitation of about three miles of main sanitary sewer lines.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the city to perform improvements to the sanitary sewer collection system, as it is not equipped to handle the amount of storm water it receives.
City engineer Bob Bianchi shared data obtained via flow monitoring of the sanitary sewer system during a rain event that resulted in an inch of precipitation.
“The normal flow of the sanitary system in that system at that point is 250 gallons per minute,” he said. “When it rained, it spiked up to over 3,500 gallons per minute.
“What happens is that flow goes to the plant, the plant has a tough time treating it, we get violations, consequently followed up by orders, so it’s this cycle.”
The city has identified three critical areas — South Diamond, Woodland, and Harding Road — where about 18,000 feet of the city’s sanitary sewer system will be lined with a felt liner.
“We’re trying to get low-hanging fruit and work our way out,” he said.
Once installed, the areas will be monitored to determine if additional work should be completed. Bianchi said there are about 320 miles of sewer lines.
“Every year we have to chip away at it,” he said, adding that Mansfield isn’t the only city facing this issue.
The city is compiling data via its new GIS system to keep track of what’s already been lined since the program began in 2003.
The total cost of this project is $1.3 million. A portion of that will be covered by a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission, with the remaining cost paid from the city’s sanitary sewer fund.
