R2003-61 ACCEPTING THE BID AND AUTHORIZING A CONTRACT

Home Browse Search

. . f ' COUNCIL COMMUNICATION FORM Engineering & Infrastructure Memorandum NO. 2003-20 Apri125, 2003 TO: Honorable Mayor Osborne and City Council FROM: Steve Garman, City Manager Stephen Swanson, P.E.,Director of Engineering & Infrastructur Matthew C. Newell,P.E., City Engineer�,,,�t SUBJECT: Sanitary Sewer Herbicide Root Control, City Project 2003-03 SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by staff that the City Council approve the attached resolution awarding the contract for Sanitary Sewer Herbicide Root Control, City Project 2003-03, to Tele Scan, Inc., as the lowest, responsible bidder in the amount of$84,659.55, and that the Mayor be authorized to execute the contract, and the City Clerk to attest. BACKGROUND: Sanitary sewer lines are extremely susceptible to root intrusions in that tree roots often seek out the moisture that is available in and around sewer lines. Attracted by condensation that generally forms on the outside of sewer pipes, roots will wrap themselves around the pipes and actually enter the pipe through joints and cracks. A major cause of sewer backups is roots that have ' entered the pipes. If left alone, roots will eventually fill the pipe and allow debris to accumulate ; and clog the line. In 2002, the City commissioned three sanitary sewer capacity studies to determine the cause of sewer backups in the Shadow Lane area, the Kaydon Drive area and the Ridge Lane area. The first two of these studies have been completed. A major culprit in the backups that have plagued ' these areas has been identified as root intrusions into the area sewer lines. City sewer maintenance crews, spend a large part of their time removing roots that are filling the City's sewer system. Nationwide, the inability to manage root intrusions in sewer lines is a major cause of sewer backups. The project proposed by City staff utilizes a technology that is becoming increasingly popular in ' the control of root intrusions into sewer lines. A herbicide chemical is combined with a foaming agent that is applied throughout a pipe segment. Foam fills the treated pipe and causes the herbicide to cover and stick to any tree roots that it comes in contact with. The herbicide proceeds to kill the roots that are in the pipe and within a short distance of the outer wall while leaving the main tree structure undamaged.