Town Awaiting Report on Aging Sewer Line
Highland Park and University Park officials could soon have a better idea about how much life is left in the Turtle Creek sanitary sewer interceptor line that helps control the flow of sewage from both communities to the treatment plant.
An emergency evaluation of the 30-inch line from Highland Park’s northern boundary south to near Wycliff Avenue began in October, and initial results are expected by mid-November, assistant director of town services Kathleen Stewart said in an email.
The full-line inspection was ordered by the Highland Park Town Council after an initial inspection of a 100-foot section in September found significant wear and two “hot spots” where the pipe had degraded from 3-inches thick to just an inch thick.
“We only looked at a 100-foot section, and it might not be the worst section,” director of engineering Lori Chapin warned.
Highland Park and University Park are sharing the cost of the $150,000 evaluation by Freese and Nichols Inc.
Evaluating the line involves video and sonar to determine condition and predict how much longer the line can last, “so we can plan how we replace it,” she said.
Highland Park had scheduled the initial inspection as part of the planning process for future improvements to the line.
