More than two years ago, Franklin started planning a study of its underground sewer system to flag and prioritize what work needed to be done.
Just as the city rates its streets and makes paving and repair to-do lists based on deterioration and other factors, the sewers need maintenance work.
A company was hired in April for specific projects that had been recommended by an engineering company, and those projects are underway now in neighborhoods such as along Hamilton Avenue and Forsythe Streets. The work includes repairing connection points, cleaning the lines, replacing manholes, removing roots and lining some of the pipes to preserve the system and prevent leaks, said Rick Littleton, superintendent of the city’s Department of Public Works.
Some of the work is happening in neighborhoods under investigation for possible contamination, but the work is not connected in its scope or timing to the environmental testing, Littleton and Mayor Steve Barnett said.
The location of the work is a logical coincidence. The contamination area is confined to the older, more industrial area of the city. That is also where the city’s oldest sewers, most in need of repairs, are located, Littleton and Barnett said.
Other sewer line work has already been completed. Crews work on subsections that are connected at the same time, Littleton said.
An engineering firm recommended the specific projects, reviewed the contractors who bid on the work and suggested who the city should hire. That was completed in March and April.
The $468,000 project is now underway.
No contamination has been found in the sewer line; rather, some contamination has been found in the backfill, which is a mixture of dirt, sand and gravel that the line is buried in. No backfill has been removed, Littleton said.
