Davie County reviews wastewater asset management grant; staff recommends rolling condition assessments

Davie County commissioners received a briefing May 4 on a wastewater asset inventory and assessment project funded by a grant. Consultants described the county's sewer network (nearly 39 miles of gravity sewer, about 13 miles of pumped sewer, roughly 1,000 manholes) and methods used to estimate condition and consequence of failure.

The presentation explained that age and material were used as primary proxies for condition while staff also built a hydraulic model and ran smoke tests in the Coolamee area to identify suspect segments. Consultants said many gravity mains in older neighborhoods (the Coolamee area) are nearing the end of useful life and that force mains often have shorter lifespans and higher consequence because redundancy is limited.

Key recommendations included launching an ongoing programmatic condition-assessment schedule—inspect about 10% of lines per year at an estimated cost of $75,000 annually—then refine GIS data, prioritize urgent repairs found during inspections, and set multi-year replacement budgets once empirical condition data are available. Consultants said the Coolamee Wastewater Treatment Plant, built in the mid-1960s and upgraded intermittently, will need targeted upgrades over the next 10–20 years and that floodplain siting and future nutrient/PFAS regulations should be considered when planning improvements.

Commissioners asked for follow-up and for the county to coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions (staff noted flows from Boxville and coordination points with Knoxville). The board did not vote on any finance action during the presentation; the recommendation was for staff to return with a proposed inspection program and budget if the board elects to proceed.