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Wenatchee reports emergency repair of deep force main on Old Station Road; repair cost estimated at $200k–$250k
Summary
Public works director Tom Wachholder told the council an emergency was declared after a 20‑foot‑deep sewer force main ruptured; Hearst Construction made repairs and the city used utility reserves to cover costs estimated at $200,000–$250,000.
Tom Wachholder, Wenatchee public works director, reported to the City Council that the city declared an emergency after a suspected force‑main leak on Old Station Road progressed to a rupture during a controlled shutdown.
Wachholder said crews first saw a sinkhole late on Monday and when crews performed a controlled shutdown the pipe ruptured. The city declared an emergency Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and authorized an emergency contract with Hearst Construction, which mobilized the same day and began excavation at about 5 p.m. The city patched the rupture about 39 hours later, he said.
Wachholder described the force main as 20 feet deep and said the excavation required complex shoring. City crews worked around the clock — he said crews worked 36 hours continuously — and the city used three vacuum (Vactor) trucks to shuttle wastewater out of the lift station to the gravity system to avoid overflow into the Columbia River. Douglas County Sewer District provided mutual aid (a vacuum truck and operator) during the response.
Roadway restoration was still pending at the time of the report; the roadway was expected to remain closed until about the following week. Wachholder estimated the repair cost at roughly $200,000–$250,000 for the force‑main work; he said funding will come from the Sewer Utility Fund, which has reserves to cover the emergency repair, and that the city may adjust planned projects in coming months to accommodate the expense.
Wachholder praised the utilities crew and thanked local businesses in the Old Station Road area for reducing flows during the repair. “It was kind of hectic for 36 hours, but the repair has been complete on the sewer force main,” he said.
