JAMESTOWN — A failed storm water main near Applebee’s in Jamestown has been temporarily repaired and the area is safe, according to Travis Dillman, city engineer.
During the city engineer’s report, Dillman told the Jamestown Public Works Committee Thursday, May 25, that the City of Jamestown’s primary concern is the immediate need to protect the public around the sinkhole area.
“They (Scherbenske Inc.) were able to find a pipe specifically for this sinkhole area to put in and patch it up as best they could and broke off the overhang because we were worried … as future water came it started further into the banks.” advance,” he said. “We wanted to secure the area, and we succeeded.”
He said the stormwater pipe had not been permanently repaired or tested as of Thursday.
“But it looks good,” he said. “The hope, of course, is that if we get up to 5cm of rain again, we can handle that without future erosion, so we can address the main issue.”
Dillman said the city is working on a long-term solution, but the goal is to minimize future erosion and run-off at the sinkhole site.
Stormwater runoff and flooding caused a 96-inch stormwater main to fail south of 25th Street Southwest and east of 8th Avenue Southwest. The sinkhole at the site was estimated to be 12 to 14 feet deep.
Jamestown City Council on May 15 passed an order confirming and extending a declaration of emergency issued by the mayor related to a failed storm water pipe near Applebee’s. At the time, Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said the emergency declaration he issued on May 15 would last only seven days and would take longer to resolve the issue. The council’s action extended that time until the stormwater system is repaired and the risk to others has subsided, the resolution said.
As part of the emergency declaration, Dillman said the goal is to remediate all storm sewer lines south of 25th Street Southwest.
Dillman said engineers are working with tube manufacturers on pricing and availability. He said the cost and longevity of the pipe would be considered.
Furthermore, the Public Works Committee unanimously recommended approval of the plans and specifications for lime filter presses for the water treatment plant. The action taken by the body also allows tenders to be issued for the procurement of the lime filter presses.
Dillman said that due to the long lead time, approving the tender for bids will help get the presses faster.
“Once we know exactly who is going to supply the product from the supplier, we can get the manufacturing drawings for that so we can actually design the installation so we can bid on that part too,” he said.
The aim is to install and commission the lime presses by next spring.
Major failures occurred in two filter presses for water softening that were around 30 years old last summer. The filter presses extract water from the lime sludge, which is used to soften the drinking water.
The City of Jamestown uses well water, which is relatively hard and requires softening. The lime – the main treatment component for water softening – is added as a softener and helps remove iron and manganese from the water to lower the calcium and total hardness levels of the water.
During the water softening process, a lot of lime sludge is produced in the water treatment plant, which is sent to the lime press room for removal. The press filters remove the water from the sludge itself, leaving the particles behind.
Masaki Ova joined The Jamestown Sun as a reporter in August 2021. He grew up on a farm near Pingree, ND. He studied communications at the University of Jamestown, ND
Comments are closed.