JOHNSTOWN - The Gloversville-Johnstown Wastewater Treatment Facility has begun a major evaluation of its main sewer line from the Union Avenue sewer plant to Harrison Street in Gloversville.
Facility consultant George Bevington told the Joint Sewer Board recently that evaluation work on the more than 40-year-old main sewer line between the Glove Cities is under way. The board slated the work as a $66,180 capital project this year.
"Most of the manholes were inspected," Bevington said.
C.T. Male Associates of Latham is working with the sewer plant on the capital project. In March, the sewer board approved an engineering evaluation of the more than 40-year-old main trunk sewer line from Gloversville to the sewage treatment plant.
Bevington said the 36-inch clay sewer line, which the sewer plant is responsible for, handles all of Gloversville's wastewater and some city of Johnstown wastewater, all of which goes to the Union Avenue plant for treatment. The line has 75 manholes located about every 300 to 500 feet. Some of the manholes are 42 inches in diameter.
About a dozen of the manholes remain uninspected at this point for various reasons, Bevington said. For example, a few of the manholes were not accessible because of a housing development project. He said the sewer plant is working with the Johnstown City Department of Public Works to gain further access.
Bevington said his facility was able to find maps from 1963 at Johnstown City Hall of the main line from State Street in Johnstown, going north, which helps engineers do their evaluation.
"Those are being scanned in," Bevington said. "That's giving us a lot of information about what's in the ground."
He said a television inspection of the sewer main was due to begin last week - a camera inspection of "various sections" of the line.
"I don't know if there's ever been any camera work done in any of the sections," Bevington said.
The C.T. Male evaluation involves the entire 4.5-mile line. However, for cost reasons, only one-third will be reviewed with a camera at this time. Bevington said a camera is being sent down into the sewer line on a "raft-like device" to evaluate the line.