Minutes-04/06/1983

The Tiffin City Council met in special session on Wednesday, April 6, 1983 at the Tiffin Methodist Church in order to discuss problems at the sewer plant. Mayor Potter called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Council-members present were Brown, Spivey, Cox, Rohret and Stevens. Also present was Tracy Smith and Ralph Brown. No one spoke during community forum. Motion Cox, second Brown to approve the gaends. Carried unanimously. Potter explained that due to the rains over the weekend, the pumps at the sewer plant could not keep up and several people have been helping to keep the situation under control. He feels it is necessary to do something before the system backs up into people's basements. Brown and Cox reported that they had checked manholes all around town and can pinpoint certain trouble areas. Cox stated that he had called a company in Hudson, Iowa who thinks it is probably field tile broken or sump pumps. This company will photograph the inside of the lines for $1.25 per foot up to 2,000 feet and then $1.00 per foot for everything thereafter. Brown stated that the problem will get worse and that one inch of rain causes the pumps to overload. Spivey stated that water was probably getting into the basements of many homes and running down the drains into the plant. Potter estimated that five to six blocks of lines would need to be photographed. Rohret asked if dye could be injected into the lines to determine where the run off originates. Spivey suggested checking with Coralville and Iowa City because they have just had this same type of work done. Ralph Brown stated that he talked with the salesman from Municipal Supply, Co. who thought that the city could get a grant for the work and that the company from Hudson was not the best one to work with. He also said that a company in Vinton will repair the lines from the inside. There is also a company in Nevada who does the type of work. Several councilmembers stated that they did not favor trying to repair the lines from the inside. Council did not favor a by-pass system as it would probably not work and it might be against DEQ regulations. Clerk reported that $3,000.00 would probably be a limit on the sewer funds and if more were needed later, the council could designate other funds at that time.