ROXBURY, NJ – A section of the half-century-old sewer system in Succasunna failed in February, a problem that cost almost $160,000 to repair.
The event took place Feb. 28 near the intersection of Eyland Avenue and Paddock Way, according to a report by Roxbury Township Engineer/Director of Utilities Melanie Michetti. Fixing the problem required hiring outside contractors and diverting traffic on the busy road.
Michetti said the township sewer department first responded that Wednesday to a “surcharged manhole” near the intersection, a condition in which the amount of water entering the sewer line exceeds its capacity causing water in the manhole to rise above the top of the outlet pipe. The workers also found a blocked sewer line nearby and cleared the blockage, she said.
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Two days later, the department conducted a telescopic inspection of the blockage area and found additional problems; “upstream manholes surcharged and sewer main blocked,” according to the engineer.
“The Sewer Department removed a manhole rung, mud and rock from the main, but was unable to completely clear the line,” Michetti wrote.
The discovery prompted the department to hire Aaron Excavating of Jefferson to perform emergency sewer main repairs. It also hired Pumping Services of Middlesex to conduct bypass pumping of the sewer main while the repairs were done, according to Michetti.
“This segment of sanitary sewer main receives the discharge from the Toby Drive Pump Station and the Eyland Woods Pump Station in addition to customers connected by gravity,” she explained. “Approximately 800 customers contribute to this segment of sanitary sewer main.”
The work – which took all weekend - became more extensive than initially expected, according to the engineer. She said the event revealed that “the top of the existing asbestos cement sewer main (was) in a very soft condition with several holes along the top of the pipe.”
The discovery of the compromised sewer main necessitated Aaron Excavating to continue excavating and replacing the sewer main “until a solid section of pipe was found to enable a secure connection,” Michetti wrote. “By the end of the repair, approximately 106 linear feet of 8-inch diameter sewer main was replaced just short of the manhole at Eyland Avenue and Paddock Way.”
The engineer noted, in her memo, the age of the lines that failed.
“The sanitary sewer mains in this area were installed between the mid-1960s and the mid-1970s,” she said. Michetti added that the sewer mains in the area were cleaned and inspected as recently as 2016.
“The department will be reinspecting the sanitary sewer mains and manholes in the general area to ascertain the present condition of the system,” Michetti noted. She said the manhole adjacent to the replaced sewer main was already scheduled for repair or replacement this year.
At its April 2 meeting, the Roxbury Township Council introduced, on first reading, a proposed ordinance authorizing the appropriation of $158,000, from the township sewer utility capital balance, to pay for Aaron Excavating’s $138,500 bill, Pumping Services’ $13,037 bill and $6,450 worth of aggregate stone needed during the emergency repair.
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