Tree roots clog Hunt Field sewers; board seeks GIS mapping and targeted fixes

Chair opened the discussion of a persistent sewer problem at Hunt Field, reporting that contractors charge "like 5 to 6000 dollars each time they have to go out and do this and clean the lines." The chair said service laterals were installed too deep for city equipment and that roots from many species — willow oak, Japanese cherry, Bradford pear, Siberian elm, and sycamore — have invaded joints in PVC laterals. The board emphasized this is not a species-specific problem but a systemic issue tied to installation depth and joint gaps.

As a near-term planning step, the chair said the utility board's new director, Paul Mantello, and a GPS/ArcGIS engineer named Travis can combine the town's 2019 tree inventory with sewer and street layers so the tree board can see plantings in relation to utilities. The chair said the engineer offered user licenses that would allow the board to view the maps (read-only) and plan future plantings and subdivision reviews accordingly. She listed potential mitigation approaches discussed by staff and foresters — wrapping pipe joints in copper or placing copper sulfate in trenches — but stressed these are planning measures, not guaranteed cures.