The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Jenkins moves forward on water, sewer project




The Jenkins City Council held a special meeting Tuesday night for the final reading of two resolutions required before work on city’s water and sewer line rehabilitation project could move forward.

City Attorney Randall Tackett read Resolution 0927-11-1, which allows the city to enter an application for a Kentucky Community Development Block Grant to fund Phase II of the city’s water line replacement Project. The city was unable to enter an application for a second CDBG until all aspects of the initial CDBG that helped to fund Phase I had been closed out. The council closed out final payments to contractors on Phase I at their regular September meeting so they could apply for a second CDBG for Phase II. The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution.

Tackett also conducted the reading of Resolution 0927-11-2, which allows the city to seek funding through the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority and the federal government for Phase II of the city’s sewer line rehabilitation project. The council also voted unanimously to approve the second resolution.

Although the matter of sewer problems in Number Two Bottom was not on the agenda and no action could be taken on the matter, May- or G.C, Kincer told council members he wanted to provide them with information on a solution City Manager Todd DePriest has come up with to help relieve problems with sewer backups in that neighborhood.

Kincer said DePriest and city workers started today to reattach lines to the old system of sewer lines — which Kincer said had not caused any problems for Number Two Bottom residents — until problems with broken lines and infiltration of water from broken pipes, illegally attached downspouts and drains could be resolved. Kincer said the rerouting of lines should also take the pressure off the pump station there, which is currently overwhelmed by excess volume.

DePriest said he will also begin smoke testing in the Number Two Bottom area soon to look for unauthorized drains and downspouts attached to city sewer lines. Mayor Kincer added that if smoke testing doesn’t reveal the source of the additional water, the city will bear the expense of bringing in video cameras on fiber optic cables to probe sewer lines.

DePriest told the council the inflow and infiltration problem is also revealed in the readings from the city sewer plant compared to the amount of water the city sold. He said that although the city sold just less than five million gallons of water last month, 15 million gallons went through the Burdine Sewer Plant.

DePriest said the usual amount of water going through the plant should be about 90 percent of the amount of water sold (4.5 million gallons). Mayor Kincer said he had viewed earlier fiber optic film of city lines and was amazed at how broken up some of them are.

Council Member Chuck Anderson, who has relatives living in Number Two Bottom, said the problem appears to be rainwater getting into sewer lines because the water coming out of manholes is clear. Anderson said the problem started after the Mountain Breeze Apartment complex was built and the storm drains on the hillside below them were built.



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