Sewer CCTV shows root intrusion; trustees weigh $510,000 rehabilitation and routine root treatment

Town staff reported results from sanitary sewer CCTV inspections and recommended a mix of immediate root treatment and longer-term rehabilitation work.
Staff said the CCTV identified pipes with root intrusion and sections that read as "blocked" for sonar equipment where lines terminate in lamp heads. The board discussed prior cleaning work and that the town had spent about $5,000 annually on sewer backups before beginning CCTV and targeted treatments; staff said the root-treatment foam and jitter (truck-mounted cleaning) approach typically involves camera verification coupled with a chemical/foam application that digests roots.
During the meeting staff and a trustee cited a project list and asked whether the board could fund a larger rehabilitation package; one figure mentioned in the discussion was about $510,000 for selected repairs based on CCTV results. Trustees said the town had previously cleaned lines twice and that recurring root regrowth was evident in some neighborhoods; they discussed prioritizing lines in the south end of town and lines that serve the school area before pursuing larger capital work.
Trustees did not approve a capital contract at this meeting. They directed staff to prioritize targeted root treatment, continue CCTV assessment, and prepare scope-and-cost documents for any larger rehabilitation grant or funding request.