Sparta Aldermen Amend Contract To Repair Leaking Sewer Line

Contractors found a major source of sewer overflow in Sparta that has been a source for the city’s sewer issues.

The Board of Aldermen amended an ongoing manhole project contract to repair the issue Thursday night. Mayor Jerry Lowery said a large hole was found that is taking in a high volume of water.

“They said they would repair that as soon as they finish this while they are here,” Lowery said. “That brings us to this bid. It’s going to be beneficial to do that, because this hole was massive and water was just running into our sewer line that they found.”

Lowery said the contractor will repair the hole after the Highway 111 manhole project is complete. Lowery said the compromised pipe was found across the road.

Sparta remains under a sewer moratorium for infiltration of ground water into the sewer system.  Lowery said significant gains have been made since the manhole project began.

“Look at the old manholes that they just took out,” Lowery said. “It has big chunks in it, and all that ground water was running into our sewer creating overflows.”

The Board of Aldermen also amended a contract with the same contractor to expand smoke testing. Lowery said engineers found more pipes that could be causing overflow issues.

“They though it would be beneficial for us to do that,” Lowery said. “So, it is going to help us identify more problem areas in our sewer.”