ELIZABETHTON – With several members contracting the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past few weeks, progress in the Elizabethton Water Resources Department is expected to slow in October. In reality, however, a lot of work was done including replacing the State Park Sewer, a 24-inch ductile iron pipe that was 100 feet long.
Department head Johann Coetzee said it all started when a video camera survey of the sewer line uncovered a potential weak point that could cause the line to channel sewage into the nearby Watauga River.
Coetzee said the sewer line was installed in 1957. The recent inspection found that there was a spot where the pipe was near a rainwater pipe that led to the river. It was decided to replace the line before a pollution problem arose. It was also decided to modernize a 12-inch line on Parkway Boulevard that joins the State Park line.
Coetzee said it was a big project for his department. “There were some pretty big pieces of concrete.” He said the department doesn’t have equipment big enough to handle the largest pieces, which requires renting out some of the pieces. Coetzee said that because of the pandemic, his crews had been split into squads that had not come together to work or socialize. That meant workers who needed to be quarantined could be restricted to one squad. However, the sewer project was so large that more than one team had to work together.
Other equipment the department had to rent was some temporary sewage pumps to keep the river out of the area where the men worked.
Another factor was that the soil above the sewer line had been filled in since 1957, which resulted in some deep excavations that had to be done to get to the lines.
While the project had many challenges, some luck was also found. There was a good collaboration with the staff at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Coetzee said the park even allowed one of the two entrance gates to be closed to help with the project.
Coetzee said the workers were also lucky when they had to cut the park’s road to place the line. He said the park is preparing to rehabilitate the road so the cut was made on an old surface rather than having to cut a brand new surface.
Coetzee said the work not only made the sewer safer, but also made it more accessible for future inspections.
“We have installed two new manholes. One on a different section of the 24-inch line and one on the 12-inch line on Parkway Boulevad that was inaccessible, “Coetzee said.
In a memo to Elizabethton City Council, Coetzee wrote, “This long-term repair will alleviate environmental issues from sewer overflows and provide access to the main line on Parkway Boulevard.”
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