DeKalb County ratifies emergency contract to inspect and clean Snap Finger trunk sewer

DeKalb County's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee ratified an emergency contract to inspect and clean large-diameter trunk sewer lines that feed the Snap Finger wastewater treatment plant.

County staff said the work targets sites that experience sanitary sewer overflows during heavy rain and will use integrated sonar and closed-circuit inspection technology to identify debris and bottlenecks. The committee voted to approve the emergency purchase and ratification of the contract at the meeting; the committee chair said the item was approved unanimously.

According to Director Wells, the work will begin with an inspection using a flotation-mounted scanning skid to profile debris in pipes that in places run at roughly 80% capacity during dry-weather flows. "It floats literally on top of the sewage and scanned down to get a profile of the debris," Wells said, describing the inspection phase. The contractor will then select removal methods based on what is found; possibilities described include high-pressure nozzles and mechanical scraping devices tailored to the debris type, which may include silt, grit or larger materials.

Staff described the timeline as an inspection commitment to regulators by December, with removal of discovered debris by the following June; the multi-month schedule reflects the scale of the trunk lines, which staff characterized as large-diameter (examples discussed in the meeting included 36-, 42- and 60-inch pipes) and not typically entered by personnel, meaning cleaning is done with remote or jetting equipment.

Motion and outcome: a commissioner moved to approve item 2025-1019 (the emergency trunk sewer assessment and cleaning contract); the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee chair noted the earlier minutes item had been approved unanimously as well.

Why it matters: county officials said the Snap Finger trunk lines are vulnerable to inflow and infiltration when adjacent creek levels rise in wet weather, which can overload capacity and contribute to sanitary sewer overflows. The inspection and subsequent removals are framed as regulators-directed mitigation to protect plant operations and reduce overflow risk.

Clarifying details: the meeting record gives the contract amount as discussed in two places (an initial figure of "not to exceed $5,000,000" and a clarified figure of $5,096,263.15). The presenting staff identified the work area as the large trunk sewer leading into the Snap Finger wastewater treatment plant and described a two-phase schedule (inspection by December, removals by next June). The committee heard that the pipes discussed (36, 42 and 60 inches) are too large to be entered by a person and therefore will be cleaned with remote and jetting equipment.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the inspection and removal steps under the ratified emergency purchase and report back as required by procurement and regulatory follow-up.