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Village to pursue targeted sewer inspections after flow monitoring flags three areas
Summary
After flow monitoring identified three sewer subsystems with stormflows roughly five to six times baseline, village engineers recommended CCTV, smoke testing and manhole inspections; the board authorized staff to pursue engineering contracts and asked for bid/oversight cost details.
The Dobbs Ferry Village Board heard an update on a sanitary-sewer evaluation that identified three sewer subsystems with much higher-than-baseline storm flows and agreed to move the work into a targeted investigative phase.
Anthony, the engineer presenting the findings, told the board that flow meters were placed in manholes across the village and monitored through multiple rainfall events. He said three of roughly 10–11 monitored sewer sheds showed flow spikes “about five times” or “about six times” baseline during storms, a pattern that indicates inflow and infiltration — including illegal sump-pump or roof-leader connections and groundwater entering cracked joints and manholes. “We targeted those to go after first,” Anthony said.
To locate the sources and determine repair needs, the engineers proposed three separate contracts: television inspection (CCTV) of pipe interiors to identify sections needing lining; smoke testing to reveal direct illegal connections where smoke appears at roof gutters or sump pumps; and manhole inspections to identify manholes requiring lining. Anthony warned that smoke testing requires resident notification because smoke can appear at private fixtures.
The board discussed scope and cost trade-offs. Anthony estimated village-wide smoke testing at about $92,000 versus roughly $35,000 for the three worst sheds, and village-wide CCTV at roughly $600,000 versus about $240,000 for the three selected sheds. He estimated the investigative contractor work at about $275,000 and said preparing the three bid documents would cost about $30,000, with construction administration/oversight estimated in the $50,000–$75,000 range.
Members asked whether adding additional subsystems would change the current resolution; Anthony said the three bid documents (TV, manhole inspection, smoke testing) would remain the same but contractor costs increase with added pipe length and additional smoke-testing time. The presentation noted that disconnection of illegal private hookups would be a property-owner responsibility and handled through the building department, with potential fines or fees if property owners do not remediate.
Board members also asked about funding. The treasurer reported there is money in the sewer fund to cover the immediate investigative phase and noted the board recently raised sewer rates to help pay for diagnosis; however, members acknowledged that full capital repairs across the village would be substantially more expensive and likely require phased work and future budgeting decisions.
The board did not vote on contract awards; members authorized staff to move forward with engineering services to prepare bid documents and to return with contract figures for the investigative phase and subsequent repair work.
Next steps: staff will prepare the bid documents and cost alternatives (targeted vs village-wide) and return to the board for contract approval before investigative work begins.
