Engineers to Niles: Fix sewer pipes

By Jordan Cohen

The cost in the past four years has risen by $750,000.

NILES — Consulting engineers have told the city that some of its concrete sanitary sewer pipes are failing and repairs are urgently needed.

Such a project is expected to cost $1.85 million.

Robin Liss and Thomas Ungar, engineers with MWH Americas, Cleveland, said Wednesday that tests and television monitoring have detected serious problems such as broken pipes, heavy corrosion and infiltration of storm water into the sanitary sewer system.

“The corrosion is so bad you can put a pen in the pipe and the pipe will crumble,” Liss said.

Among the locations requiring immediate repairs because of heavy corrosion are Wade Street and East Drive near Fairhaven School.

Another concern is the amount of storm water entering the city’s interceptor sewers resulting in neighborhood flooding. Ungar said Niles could run into trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency if it doesn’t do something about it.

“You have a lot of water in the system that shouldn’t be there,” Ungar told city council. “The EPA doesn’t like that and they’ll make you get rid of it or control it.”

The pipe repairs had been recommended in the first phase of an interceptor sewer plan developed by MWH for the city in 2004, which concentrated on the city’s avoidance of “catastrophic failure” of the pipes. At that time, repairs had been estimated at $1.1 million, but the cost in the last four years has risen by $750,000. Randy Fabrizio, superintendent of the waste treatment plant, said he hopes the repairs can begin by summer “once we figure out how we’re going to get the money.”

Although Phase One is limited to pipe repairs, council is also concerned about the origin of the flooding, especially after receiving numerous complaints from homeowners. Ungar said he believes that footer drains and downspouts from many homes have led to storm water overflows in sanitary sewers.

Ungar expressed concern that there may be an excess flow coming into the sewers from outside Niles. He cited Bolindale in Howland Township as one possible source and called upon the city to “pinpoint the area responsible” through the use of flow meters.

Fabrizio has asked council for help in creating a five-year plan to upgrade the system. He said the city needs to reconsider its rate structure and funding.

“We’ve had the same rates for 18 years,” Fabrizio said. The superintendent has warned several times that the treatment plant is nearing the end of its useful life.

Council members say they plan to begin work on legislation for the interceptor repairs within the next few weeks.

In other business, council:

UApproved first reading on an ordinance placing a moratorium on animated signs. Council is concerned about the brightness and intensity, citing the Golf Headquarters sign at the corner of Routes 422 and 46 as an example. Councilman Stephen Papalas said the purpose is to “tone down” the signs rather than prohibit them. Several council members are concerned that the signs could distract drivers.

UApproved a resolution authorizing the execution of a letter of agreement that would provide shuttle service from the Western Reserve Transit Authority for Niles, Youngstown and Sharon Pa. More than $391,000 in federal funds have been allocated for the service.

UPassed an ordinance requiring residential addresses to be no less than four inches in height and visible from the street. Violators could be fined up to $150.