Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Inflow Infiltration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
North Royalton committee to expand sewer monitoring with 12–15 new meters and rain gauges
Summary
Wastewater staff told the Utilities Committee they will install about 12–15 meters and temporary rain gauges across the city to better identify sources of inflow and infiltration; the city aims to have equipment in place by mid-April and will adjust dye testing accordingly.
The North Royalton Utilities Committee heard March 3 that the city will expand monitoring to find where stormwater is entering the sanitary sewer system.
Wastewater Superintendent Ed Haller said the city plans to install about 12–15 flow meters in sanitary sewer lines and to place temporary rain gauges on top of pump stations spread throughout the city. "We will be moving more into the sewers through the metering process. We will also be installing temporary rain gauges at the same time," Haller said, adding that the gauges help match where rain fell to where additional water appears in the sanitary system.
Haller said the meters and gauges will target sewer legs previously identified as having particularly high inflow and infiltration (I&I) and that crews will focus on branches where they expect higher contributions. To avoid skewed readings from melting snow, he said the goal is to have the equipment in place by mid-April. "The goal is to get them in by mid-April. We don’t want to put them in too early because ... snow melting, it skews the data," he said.
Staff also discussed modifying the scope of dye testing in the contract and increasing the number of rain gauges to cover both sewer districts. Haller said the city will place the new rain meters in the same locations used last year when possible and spread them to capture localized storms.
The expansion is intended to give staff clearer, localized data so crews can zero in on defects, misconnected drains, or other sources of stormwater entering sanitary lines. Committee members did not object; the discussion concluded with staff outlining installation timing and data-collection plans.
Next steps: staff will install the meters and gauges in spring, collect correlating rainfall and flow data, and use results to prioritize targeted repairs and any subsequent contract work.
