Special Board of Aldermen 10-14-2021 Page 23
are trying to line pipes and line as many as we can to catch them before we have that type of an issue.
Alderman Klee
Just a quick follow up. | just lost my train of thought sorry about — age. | guess the question that | have is we talked
about those that could possibly collapse and so on, do we know when something like that happens? Does it create a
sinkhole? How do you know that it’s collapsed or are you pretty well versed that this one is on its way out?
Dan Hudson, City Engineer
Well through the TV work, we can see what the issue is. Yeah lots of times we don't know there is an issue in a pipe and
a sinkhole leads you out there's something going on here. Sometimes maybe that's a drainage issue or other things but
sometimes it's a sewer issue. So if we respond to one of those conditions, we start digging and find and address
whatever the problem may be. But we are finding problems as we do the TV work so there's a reason we're doing it and
that's why we want to find pipes in good condition but we also want to find the ones that aren't in good condition so that
we can address those.
Alderman Klee
Just one quick other comment. Being the Ward Alderman of one of the oldest sections of this city - the north end French
Hill area, | do see that you go in and do work. Again, it seems like it’s extended. You dig up one part and then come
back a little bit longer and so on. Is that because when you get in there you realize you need a part that isn't - in other
words, you can't finish it all at once. It seems like Manchester Street seemed to take a little bit longer and I'm pretty sure
that was a sewage issue as well - where Mount Pleasant and all that area is. So was that the kind of case that you
would have? Orange Street seemed to take a long time as well.
Dan Hudson, City Engineer
Yeah it does take a long time. | mean you're working in and around the utilities. Paving or paving on top of them but
here with the sewer work, you’re digging right in amongst them, right. So it has to be slow and methodical work so that
you don't do damage to those other facilities. Lots of times it's challenging because a lot of the oldest sections city we
don't have records. We don't know where a house’s sewer connection connects to the sewer main sometimes or where
it goes, you know, from the sewer main to their house. Sometimes they have multiple pipes and we don't know that so.
You never know what you're gonna find until you start digging but you run into challenges, and you deal with them, and
so sometimes things are evolving. You might go on with a plan and sometimes the plan has to change so that may be
why we have to come back sometime to do different things.
Alderman Klee
So at least digging up helps you remap things later on. Thank you.
Alderwoman Lu
Thank you. Just a couple of really quick questions if | could. CSO is that combined sewer overflow? Its sewer and
stormwater? Alright. It’s when we combine the stormwater into the sewer? Okay. So when that is actually sent out into
the river, there's sewage put into the river at that point?
Unidentified Male Speaker
Very diluted.
Alderwoman Lu
Did | hear what?
Lisa Fauteux, Public Works Director
Very diluted.
