Sparta Saving Money And Time By Purchasing New Sewer Camera

Sparta wants to start doing sewer line inspections in-house as the city prepares to purchase a new camera.

City Administrator Brad Hennessee said bid specs are currently being created for the $75,000 allocated for the expenditure.

“We think it is cost effective for the city of Sparta to own their own camera,” Hennessee said. “It opens up several options for us. The first one being it should shorten the time frame for projects.”

Hennessee said owning a line camera will save time by allowing the city to identify high priority areas before a sewer project begins. Hennessee said the gear will also give employees more opportunities to make minor repairs on their own.

“Like we did with the pipe bursting with Norris Brothers,” Hennessee said. “First thing they have to do is camera the lines to identify areas of highest priority needs. We can do that ahead of time if we have our own camera system. The other thing that we can do is do it at a time that fits everyone’s schedule better rather than having to wait for the project to start.”

Hennessee said overall, the purchase will pay for itself by not using outside companies for camera work. Hennessee said bid solicitations have not gone out yet as options are explored.

“Some of these cameras are truck mounted,” Hennessee said. “Some are trailer mounted. We want ours to be in an enclosed trailer that we will buy separately, and so, we are preparing our specs for our needs at this time.”