A SYNERGISTIC APPROACH TO COMBAT I & I WITH A CONCENTRATION ON MANHOLE REHABILITATION

The McCandless Township Sanitary Authority serves several communities in Northern Allegheny County, which is located about 12 miles outside of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. This Authority covers five watershed areas and has four wastewater treatment facilities, which treat in excess of 4.5 million gallons per day. The Authority also has a total of 16 pumping stations throughout its coverage area. In this service area there is an excess of 10,000 manholes and over three hundred feet of collector and interceptor sewer lines. Like many of its counterparts, this authority has a great concern with the amount of extraneous water that enters into its system. This extraneous water can be in the form of direct inflow connections, or can be subtler where it only infiltrates through leaks in the system. The term I & I have come to signify this problem. communities, cities, states and even the Federal Government have spent billions of dollars on this I & I problem and yet the total solution still eludes the best of these agencies. This Authority has been directly involved in many programs to address thisI & I issue, and have experienced success in many areas with a combined effort. Our approach draws from the combined strengths of six different strategies, dye testing, line replacement, pipe relining, line grouting and manhole rehabilitation, creating a synergistic effect, that balances cost with gain, and feasibility with situation.McCandless Township Sanitary Authority replaces 4,500 feet of sewer line annually, relines 3,000 to 7,000 feet, and grouts 25,000 feet of sewer line. Of this six-step program, everything is done in-house, except for the lining process. To augment this six-step process we map and record our entire system on our in-house GIS system, which allows for concise repairs and system upgrades.We have discovered, that by purchasing many pieces of construction equipment from the Federal Surplus Program, we were able to acquire the needed equipment at a fraction of the market value. This, in turn, facilitates the funding to move forward with our programs. The surplus program is a very important part in our operations. We strongly encourage all to capitalize on this available asset.