|
The City of
Lufkin Sewer Rehab Division is currently performing
Infiltration & Inflow (I&I) Studies on the Sanitary Sewer
System. In cooperation with
Claunch & Miller
of Houston Texas, the City has been working for the past 2
years on collecting information about the system. With
cooperation from the Engineering & GIS Divisions of the
Public Utilities Department many problems have already been
repaired.
An
Infiltration & Inflow Study is basically a study of how
non-sanitary water penetrates the sanitary sewer system.
For instance when it rains water flows into the sanitary
system sometimes doubling the amount of water in the system,
this means that the amount of water that must be treated at
the Water Pollution Control Plant is doubled. The cost to
treat this water is very expensive and in order to find
points that allow water to enter the system the City is
conducting an I&I study. I&I study analyzes the City's
current Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure. This includes
finding immediate problems that need
 attention,
analyzing existing capacity and develop long term goals on
rehabbing the system.
City personnel
have stepped up to the challenge learning new ways of
collecting information on the system. The Engineering
Department's Survey Crew has utilized the sub-centimeter
Trimble GPS unit along with conventional survey equipment to
collect point information about each manhole and cleanout in
the area. This data is then complied by the GIS Division to
produce new maps the accuracy which the City has not known
before. Due to these new and improved high accuracy GIS
maps, spatial analysis can be performed on the system such
as locates, flow modeling, and future expansion
repercussions.
After the
mapping data is collected hard copies are produced for the
Sewer Rehab crews to work off of. The Rehab crews
physically inspect every manhole in the monitoring area
taking pictures and noting conditions of lines. They then
perform smoke testing on the area which involves pushing
smoke down into specified manholes and looking for smoke
leaks. This is the most common way to look for air leaks in
the line which allow water to get into the system.
Claunch &
Miller's engineers examine all of the raw information and
compile detailed reports that are then submitted to the
Engineering Department for analysis. The engineers examine
all aspects of the system and propose changes, projects,
future planning, etc. as needed.
Currently the
Kit McConnico and Ellen Trout Lift Station areas have been
studied. The City is currently studying the Central Gravity
system and plans on finishing the entire system in time.
These studies help reduce unnecessary strain on the Waste
Water Treatment Plant thus benefiting all citizens.
If you would
like to learn more about the I&I Studies contact Ray Wells
at 936-633-0448.
|
