A SMALL CITY ADDRESSES COLLECTION SYSTEM CAPACITY, MAINTANANCE AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Constructed in the early to mid 70s, the collection system for the City of Sandy Hook, Kentucky was victimized by changing political agendas, limited operating budgets, non-existent capital budgets, limited and changing staff and the vagaries of time. Existing maps of the collection system identified approximately 30,000 lineal feet of pipe, 220 manholes and seven pump stations. Each of the pump stations contained an overflow.In 2000, the State of Kentucky decided to build a penitentiary near the City of Sandy Hook with the prison's wastewater discharging to the City's treatment plant. This decision would require substantial changes to the treatment plant and resulted in a desire to analyze and upgrade the collection system at the same time. The analysis and upgrade of the collection system study had to be designed to fulfill a number of requirements because the opportunity presented to the City was quite possibly a one-time event. With multiple conditions driving the project, financial assistance was obtained and the program to upgrade the City facilities began in early 2001.A multiphase data collection and analysis program was used that included: inspection of the plant headworks, system metering, and pump stations; collection system flow metering with rainfall recording; groundwater level identification; structure inspections; flow isolations; and smoke test and CCTV inspections.The use of state-of-the-art electronic equipment and digital aerial maps allowed for actual locating of structures and inspection findings with all their attributes at an exact location in the field. This type of data collection also enabled accurate maps to be constructed in a very short time. As each phase was performed, different layers of the system map were created identifying such components as map corrections, flow characteristics, infiltration related problems, inflow related problems, maintenance problems and hydraulic problems. The accurate and timely development of these maps and their databases allowed for quick assessment of data as it was collected.