District to send letter accepting ownership of minor dip in high school sanitary line to avoid street excavation

Jamie Lynch, a Dewey Engineering representative, told the Lower Moreland School District Board of School Directors on April 8 that a televised inspection found a small sag in a 12-inch PVC sanitary pipe that connects the new high school to the sanitary system on Red Lion Road.

Lynch said the depression is roughly four inches over about 10 feet of pipe, occurs in the final 10 feet before the pipe enters a manhole tucked behind a curve on Red Lion Road, and showed video stills to illustrate that the pipe returns to normal flow before entering the manhole. "It's a roughly a 4 to 4 inch dip in the course of about 10 feet. It is very common, especially in plastic pipe," Lynch said.

Lynch said he reviewed the full video of the run from the building to the manhole and saw no cracks or structural damage. He and township Manager Mister Hoffman discussed the finding; Lynch said Hoffman "tends to agree" the condition is minor and that the township would accept a district letter documenting that the sanitary line was installed by the district and is owned by the district.

Board members asked whether the footage reflected typical daytime flows and whether the dip could lead to long-term damage in cold conditions. Lynch replied the inspection had been done during a school day and described the line as a gravity-flow sanitary line with high velocity downhill. He added the pipe sits roughly 4 to 5 feet below grade at that location and is below the frost line, and he did not anticipate a pressure-driven failure: "As far as pressure, it's a gravity line, not a pressure line. So there's not a pump at the head end pumping water against this location." He also said that if a blockage ever occurred it could be cleared quickly because the section is accessible and flows into a large-diameter manhole.

District staff described a suggested next step: have the solicitor review a prepared letter, place it on district letterhead, and send it to the township to document ownership and responsibility for future repairs. The township is also planning to line the receiving manhole, according to Lynch. No formal motion or vote was recorded at the meeting; the board directed staff to move forward with solicitor review and to provide the letter to the township.

Board members and staff discussed liability and warranty questions. Lynch said the line was installed before heavy intersection work on Red Lion Road and that proving contractor fault would be difficult because subsequent heavy equipment operated in the area. He also said routine maintenance such as jetting would be straightforward given the pipe's accessibility.

Next steps recorded at the meeting: district counsel will review the draft letter (Mr. Khan was named in the discussion), the district will place the signed letter on district letterhead, and staff will transmit it to the township. The district will keep a copy for its records and monitor the pipe for any operational issues.