ccarlson@dailypress.net
GLADSTONE The Gladstone City Commission voted to accept a proposal from engineering firm C2AE for professional services for a Sewer System Evaluation Survey (SSES). According to Wastewater Plant Superintendent Rodney Schwartz, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, & Energy (EGLE) required the survey to identify and address potential problems in the city’s collection system that have caused sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). These overflows put the city in violation of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
The survey will help identify areas in the collection system that are experiencing excess infiltration and inflow (I&I). Infiltration refers to groundwater entering sewer facilities through unintended pathways, such as pipes that are old and cracking. Older infrastructures or those that have been poorly maintained are more likely to allow infiltration into sewer facilities. Preventative measures such as inspections an