Apple Valley declares local emergency after sanitary sewer main failures on 140th Street

Apple Valley city council on Jan. 9 affirmed an emergency proclamation and approved resolutions to extend the emergency and authorize a local emergency contract after city staff identified extensive failures in a sanitary sewer main on 140th Street east of Pilot Knob.

The action came after Public Works and utilities staff told the council crews found multiple breaks in a roughly 1972 concrete sewer line, with an estimated more-than-1,000 feet of pipe showing holes and heavy debris inside. City staff said the initial break was discovered on Dec. 31 and repaired temporarily; further inspection on Jan. 2 revealed many additional damaged sections that require prompt repair.

City engineering and utilities staff told the council the deteriorated pipe appears to have failed in places because sewer gases and the age of the concrete had eroded the top of the pipe; the failures are concentrated in the northeast portion of the city and affect the line that conveys household waste from residences, schools, churches and other structures. The line carries what staff described as hundreds of thousands of gallons per day and feeds a nearby lift station, creating a risk of backups into ponds such as Long Lake.

The council took three formal steps: it affirmed the mayor's proclamation declaring a local emergency; it adopted a resolution extending the local emergency pursuant to Minnesota Statutes section 12.29 and 12.37; and it adopted a resolution authorizing the public works director and city engineer to enter a local or special emergency contract to make urgent repairs without the usual competitive-bid timeline. For the proclamation the council recorded a motion and vocal vote and approved the action; the extension and contract-authorizing resolutions were approved subsequently.

City staff said the cost to fully repair or replace the affected sections is expected to exceed the city's formal competitive-bidding threshold ($175,000). Staff proposed using $600,000 budgeted in capital project 2025-106 (sanitary sewer slip-lining improvements) to fund immediate work and said any additional cost would come from the sanitary sewer utility fund. Staff described several repair options they will solicit pricing for, including slip-lining, pipe bursting and directional drilling. Staff also said crews are televising the line to determine the full extent of damage and will obtain multiple contractor quotes despite the emergency contracting process.

During discussion the mayor asked whether similar concrete pipe from the 1970s exists elsewhere in the city; staff said they are researching the city's GIS records and plan to increase televising and inspections to identify other at-risk sections.

The council thanked public works and utility staff for the crews' work over the New Year's period. Staff emphasized the emergency declarations are intended to accelerate repairs so the system is restored before further failures or environmental impacts occur.