The City of Wichita says a main sewer line is at a high risk of failing. KMUW’s Abigail Wilson reports the line is responsible for conveying 60 percent of the city’s wastewater.
The 66-inch concrete pipe runs for three miles in south Wichita. It was constructed in 1957 and transfers between 25 and 80 million gallons of raw wastewater every day.
City Engineer Gary Janzen told the city council this week that, according to an assessment report of the pipeline in December of 2014, there is a single point of failure in the pipe.
“In reality, this entire pipeline could be considered a single point of failure because of what could happen if anything goes down with it and we could be close to that point if we do not move forward soon,” he says.
Janzen says engineers are working on a plan to fix the situation without it having too much of an impact on homeowners.
Problems with the pipe include corrosion resulting in compromised structural integrity and other areas that are clogged with debris.
The city has allocated $45 million for repairs to the pipe, which must remain functioning while upgrades are made. This week, the council approved $1 million of that for the development of a corrective design.
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