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Hillsboro approves roughly $59,000 repair and relocation of faulty sewer force main
Summary
After repeated breaks on an aging cast-iron force main, Hillsboro approved contracting Ditch Diggers for installation and purchasing pipe from supply vendors for a total cost reported at about $59,000; staff warned of KDHE reporting obligations for overflows and said the line will be relocated into city easement.
Hillsboro’s City Council approved an immediate replacement and relocation of an aging sewer force main after staff described multiple recent failures that required emergency repairs.
City public-works staff explained the line is an older cast-iron force main that was installed through a farmer’s field without an adequate utility easement and that repeated leaks are causing emergency interventions. Caleb Spencer, the technician who has led recent repairs, said crews repaired a blowout and then the line failed again days later: "We dug it back up and repaired it again," he said, describing repeated short-term fixes.
Staff recommended contracting local firm Ditch Diggers for trenching and installation (labor estimated at $35,000) and buying pipe and materials directly from supply vendors to reduce cost (pipe cost cited as $24,003.65). The staff-calculated total was $59,003.62; the motion recorded on the floor listed a rounded total of $59,362 when the council approved the contract and authorized purchase of materials. Council approved the work and instructed staff to relocate the pipe into the city easement to reduce future risk.
Staff noted regulatory concerns: the city must report sanitary overflows to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and show progress on repairs to avoid possible fines. The work was described as urgent because recent failures require repairs every few days and the line serves the industrial lift station and connected businesses.
The council voted to award the work and proceed with purchase and relocation as presented.
