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Coos Bay to Clean Large Downtown Sewers Overnight; City Warns of Brief Morning Delays
Summary
City staff said crews will clean large downtown sewer lines from the outside in over the coming weeks, working mostly overnight and coordinating around the farmers market to limit disruption. The work will include televising lines and may reveal repairs that require future capital projects.
Coos Bay will begin a targeted cleaning of the large sewer lines that serve downtown this spring and continue through July, city staff told the City Council. Work will occur primarily overnight to reduce traffic impacts, and staff said they will coordinate with downtown businesses and avoid cleaning in the farmers market footprint on market days.
The effort focuses on Pump Station 1’s grid, described by staff as the city’s largest pump station and the downstream collection point for several other pump stations, including Pump Station 2 and multiple east-side pumps. Staff said many downtown lines — which run 27 to 30 inches in diameter, compared with the city’s more typical 8- to 10-inch pipes — have not been cleaned since the city assumed operations in 2021 and contain debris such as sand and grease.
“Cleaning efforts are important as the wastewater infrastructure is the largest asset that the city owns,” the presenting city staff member said. Staff described the cleaning sequence as working from the outside of the grid toward the middle so debris is carried to manholes where vacuum trucks can remove it. Two city VACON vacuum trucks will be used; the Fire Department has agreed to lend a tender truck for water refills so the VACONs need not move frequently.
Officials described operational details: crews often begin work around 3 a.m. to minimize daytime traffic, they can typically clean two to three manhole-to-manhole segments per tank, and lines will be televised after cleaning to score them in the city’s grading assessment system and identify needed repairs. Staff said removed solids are taken to the wastewater treatment plant’s dewatering bin and non-water material is hauled to the landfill.
The city said it will publish public service announcements and provide Friday updates during the campaign. Staff also distributed flyers and said crews will speak with businesses ahead of cleaning in front of specific storefronts. Because flows are lower in summer, staff said the season provides the best opportunity to clean the large downtown lines with the least chance of new flows interfering with work.
Councilors asked about crew size and timing; staff said crews are six people but often operate with four on a given shift since two staff may be doing locates or other service calls. Councilors and staff emphasized safety and asked drivers to exercise caution when passing work zones.
The cleaning plan is maintenance and inspection work; staff said televising may identify defects that will be scheduled for later repair as part of capital improvement planning, but the cleaning itself does not authorize construction work.
