Hilliard authorizes $200,000 study to locate infiltration into Old Hilliard sewer system

HILLIARD, Ohio — Hilliard City Council voted 6-0 on Sept. 8 to authorize a $200,000 professional-services agreement with Burgess & Niple Inc. for a two-phase sanitary sewer evaluation study focused on Old Hilliard and the larger Hilliard outfall trunk sanitary sewer. The study’s first phase will emphasize resident outreach, records and GIS review; phase two would develop targeted field tests such as smoke and dye testing and potential private-property work. The study matters because the city’s oldest sanitary system, much of it clay tile installed before World War II, is showing capacity problems during wet-weather events caused by infiltration and inflow (I&I). Lenny, a city staff member presenting the item, told council that “during dry weather events, there’s plenty of capacity within the sewer system to accommodate current flows and future flows. But during wet weather events, we’re starting to reach capacity.” He said the work responds to findings and orders from the Ohio EPA dating to 2009. Council members pressed staff about what the study will and will not do. Lenny said phase one will gather homeowner survey responses and combine them with records and GIS review to identify likely problem areas. Phase two could include smoke testing, dye testing and lining laterals and manholes; “one of the outcomes of this study would be potentially changes in our city code to allow the city of Hilliard to go on to private property to potentially line sanitary sewers, the laterals that go from people’s homes,” he said. He added that if private storm connections to the sanitary system are found they would be rerouted to the storm system, and that any private-property work would be proposed to city council before implementation. Council members also asked whether the study would quantify additional capacity gained by lining mains and laterals. Lenny said the study “would identify where we should start” for lining and other repairs but would not provide an overall new capacity figure. He said the work is intended to reduce I&I so that wet-weather flows no longer crowd out sanitary capacity. The resolution authorizes the manager to enter the professional-services agreement, funds $200,000 for phase one and allows future contract extensions subject to council appropriation. Staff said code-change proposals related to private-property access and repair would likely return to council toward the end of 2026 or early 2027 for consideration. Background: The Old Hilliard sewer shed conveys wastewater from pre–World War II neighborhoods and takes it to Columbus. City staff previously completed flow monitoring and a preliminary evaluation; this effort builds on that monitoring with targeted outreach and field diagnostics.