Saving a City, One Manhole at a Time (Source: Water & Wastes Digest)

By Chase Chandler

In 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a 10-year consent decree with the city of Tyler. The consent decree requires Tyler Water Utilities to develop and implement a capacity, management, operation and maintenance program for the city’s wastewater system to reduce sanitary sewer system overflows.

Following a comprehensive condition assessment and prioritization analysis, the city hired Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN), a national, planning, engineering, and program management firm, to provide engineering services for Group 1 of the consent decree. Other sub-consultant firms that partnered with LAN included Garver, who provided design support for two construction packages, and Adams Engineers & Development Consultants, who provided field support throughout the work and design support for one package. Adams Engineers also provided construction inspection for all packages.

The 10-year consent decree required the condition assessment and rehabilitation of 690 miles of sewer mains and 11,000 manholes in the city’s sewer system. Group 1 work included the rehabilitation or replacement of approximately 900 manholes and more than 40,000 linear feet of wastewater mains.