Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Emergency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission asks staff to refine Hamilton Hollow temporary pump plan, delays sending funding request to state
Summary
Commissioner Taylor briefed the Fayette County Commission on March 19 about a temporary pump-and-pipe approach to bypass four sewer breaks in Hamilton Hollow and asked staff to seek state or regional help after receiving rental and purchase cost estimates.
Commissioner Taylor briefed Fayette County commissioners on March 19 about temporary measures to bypass four active sewer breaks in Hamilton Hollow and the nearby need to treat wastewater from the regional prison.
Taylor said a comprehensive temporary solution would require four pumps and associated piping to bypass breaks; the PSD (public service district) currently owns one pump and the county would need three more. Staff provided an estimate that renting three pumps and associated piping would cost about $294,014.88 per year, with additional fuel and maintenance costs. Purchasing pumps was discussed as an alternative; ownership would lower annual rental costs but require local maintenance and fuel funds.
Taylor said she intends to ask state emergency-management or homeland-security entities whether they could buy pumps and lend them to the county, and to ask Region 4 and other PSDs whether any pumps could be borrowed. She said existing local funds, including a county health-department waiver for testing and $137,000 already identified plus $60,000 expected from NRG RDA, could cover part of the cost. Taylor asked staff to draft a letter to state entities seeking assistance.
Commission members raised technical and liability questions about bypass pumping and environmental compliance. The county's emergency and legal staff noted DEP (state Department of Environmental Protection) is already aware of the breaks and that the county's work would focus on preventing raw discharges and stabilizing the situation. Commissioners discussed how to house, maintain and deploy pumps if state or regional agencies supplied them.
On a motion and second, the commission voted to postpone mailing the funding request letter until the first April meeting to allow staff to refine recipients, seek possible borrowed pumps and prepare cost breakdowns. Staff will return with a draft letter and firm estimates; commissioners said a two-week delay was acceptable so the letter can include specific funding and operational options.
