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Groves council approves engineering contract to study sewer bottleneck at Fifth Street
Summary
The Groves City Council voted to approve a contract with South Tech Surveyors & Engineers to design a fix for a wet‑weather bottleneck in the sewer system around 20 Fifth Street; engineers described a reduced pipe capacity and recommended an option to restore conveyance.
Groves — The City Council on Feb. 24 approved a contract with South Tech Surveyors & Engineers to design and survey work to relieve a chronic sewer bottleneck where flows from two sewer collection areas meet at 20 Fifth Street.
Gary Grama of South Tech told the council the junction can carry more than 8,000 gallons per minute during wet weather while the existing conveyance downstream can handle about 4,700 gallons per minute, creating “a severe bottleneck.” Grama said the line was originally a 30‑inch pipe but at some point was slip‑lined with a 24‑inch HDPE pipe, which “reduced [capacity] by 53%,” and that the recommended repair is to add a new parallel 24‑inch line routed above the existing pipe so both lines can operate concurrently in wet weather.
The recommendation presented to council was labeled “option 3” in the firm's briefing sheet; staff and the consultant described it as the quickest and least costly option that restores the design conveyance. Grama said detailed surveys and horizontal/vertical layout work are needed before a reliable cost estimate can be provided and that construction will likely require digging into a roadway where the line is believed to run.
Council members asked whether customers served by the existing 24‑inch line would still risk backups during storms. Grama said the additional line should lower the wet‑weather water surface in the manholes and “provide relief” for customers tied into the problem segment. He also gave a planning timeline that, if work proceeds quickly, could allow construction to begin in roughly a year to 15 months.
A motion to approve the engineering and surveying contract (option 3) was made and seconded and passed on a council vote. The council authorized the city manager to negotiate and execute the necessary documents.
Council and staff did not provide an overall construction budget at the meeting; Grama said a detailed survey and cost estimate are prerequisite steps.
The contract award moves the project into the design and survey phase; council directed staff to proceed under the approved option and return with cost estimates and construction plans when available.
