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Council authorizes final design for Clear Creek forcemain and pump station improvements after repeated pipe failures
Summary
Council authorized staff to proceed with final design of a project to replace about 2,500 feet of 20-inch forcemain, add air release valves and a bypass vault after multiple failures and DNR abatement orders; estimated cost is $1.5 million funded by sewer enterprise revenue funds.
The Columbia City Council on Feb. 3 authorized staff to proceed with final design of the Clear Creek Forcemain and Pump Station improvement project after staff outlined a history of failures and state enforcement actions.
David Sorel, the city’s director of utilities, told the council that the affected section of 20-inch force main—about 2,500 feet on the system’s lowest portion—was improperly designed and constructed when installed in 2010–11. The utility has experienced six pipe failures on that highlighted section, resulting in unauthorized sewage discharges to Clear Creek and two abatement orders from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that included monetary penalties. Sorel recited past enforcement penalties and cost assessments recorded in earlier abatement orders; among figures discussed were $3,203.22 in costs and a $13,677 administrative penalty tied to a February 2020 break, and a separate December 2016 abatement order that included $5,400 in costs and a $15,000 administrative penalty.
Sorel said the proposed work would replace the most vulnerable 2,500-foot section, properly bed the pipe, add air release valves and include a bypass vault at the pump station so the system can be taken partially out of service for maintenance without shutting the pump station down. The city estimates the project cost at about $1,500,000; funding would come from the sewer enterprise revenue fund.
Council members asked about past repairs, inspection changes and how to prevent future failures. Sorel and other staff said the city now dedicates three inspectors to sewer and stormwater projects and performs TV inspections of pipe interiors prior to acceptance—practices they said reduce the likelihood of repeat construction defects. The council voted to authorize staff to proceed with final design; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
Sorel said the final design will allow the city to pursue construction that aims to minimize future discharges and reduce further enforcement risk by DNR.
