ML20080R167

Atlanta Business Chronicle Re Questions Remain About Atlanta Aging Sewer Lines in Support of 2.206

ML20080R167
Person / Time
Site:	Neely Research Reactor
Issue date:	02/22/1995
From:	Blockeyobrien AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
References
2.206, PR-950216, NUDOCS 9503090184
Download: ML20080R167 (3)

Text

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Questions remain about a

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Atlanta's aging sewerlines l g

97 delle e.Itairsten se earna newerknes such as the one that collapsed.

m After more than three years of wran- No sewer system is foolpmof, bus tech-g gling with the state) Environments! Pro- nokigy to minimize both environmental J, tection Division (EPD), the city of damage and maintenance expense is 1

)

' Atlanta now treets the centaminant-filled anilable. .

i 3 water possing through its Combined

• Ahhough limited in its op6ons by g Sewer Overflows (C80s), But the city) urban development, Atlanta, despite the!

1. sging innastructure still poses a risk to magnitude of problems it has experi. l; g

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e

• '(P ,1 the state) water quality.

enced with its sewage lines, has no The problem is breaks and leakage in aggressive or high-tech preventive nwin-1 -  ;' Atlants) antiquated sewer pipes, which tenance plans in the works.

"fe ' - annually dump unknown thousands of Conversely, Fuhon County is in the lat-o ( gallons of row powage into aree crooks Ier steges of a $7.3 million comprehen-  !

_v I, /' end streams. The 1993 eollapse of a enjer sewer line in midtown killed two olve its sewerr',erwork 2,000 n ile course andstudy 40,000that man-bas moppe people and galvanized public support for holes. Once complete, the study not o m? - impoving Atlanta) infrastructure.

- IE will detail the condition of fuhon) sew. .

Chemlet Vlvien Steadmen: whars comw,p out of those t;roken pres? Doni sek- But little of the money in the city) er system, much of which is far newer

-hl 994 bond package is earmarked to than repair Atterna), but also willleave behind j T M.be M C. _ sensitive computerized monitors that will s

,o g g p g Q g g g._ allow county workers to continuously 4

o MO s MEi thcAEM M6EMce REBcwR $TM,q tywide and hed ofrproblems before they assen the condatens m sener prpes coun-h f' W~bCR k.kDIo K WDN.

i become unmanageable.

"We wanted toleave enough pieces in place that we would be able to collect

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more data over time," explains flward n Wallenstein, special projects administra.

h[ j . ~ 3 h f -[ 'g .g g gh ~ jgg l JOAAA b ~

tor in Fulton County) Department of fPg g J '

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Public Workt "By spending a httle more g.g h g {d jl. f y! g g . i money up front, we could save a lot of j$ g, E & rnoney over the years."

sj/ R. Le )h .jj: g ,g The long-term monitors will cost the county an additional 31.8 million, but

[ j 11 y g. Q,Q !j-' f $8g j 'm D O - Wallenstein argues the merits of the

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cou y s ,, " ""82 t ,'ii/o"n"En"r yf

. .hy u 3J $ 8 .f .i y 3

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lg,g f maintenance on sts sewer system in 1994, 1

• j pb g .m jy E j j nret rdmg to figures provided by the '

E bN hE ig county pubhc works department, "The biggest savings is in respome

.g ' g r3g gg eggga gg time before the public is inconve-j I o8 E ,8.w j s .g :5 nienced"Wallenstein says "hijustgood U management."

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j2 I,lf 3.E Eg$ 4$ 1 Nj'h' $ lower response j(g A b g5"e]kO3 g "

By contrast, several complaints on file at EPD indicate the city of Atlanta takes x

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a somewhat different approach to main-Y d! d j 9i *

} gE F 8.s tenance on its 2.300 miles ofsemer lines and 80,960 manholes. An April 8,1994, gy g1f.s!I ,.gg l"d!

~,E k , IE$hg 3 letter to James Walker, Atlants division chief of sewer operations, from Marge

..hp,,ejf gg .g Coffmg details ongoing, year.old sewer p 9r j a g j]r j, problems that caused raw sewage 60 ikmd EEr.d$Z- E F B* g 5 .st Coffmg byard and enter Peachtree Creel Vivian L. Steadman, a chemisi who

$$ has monitored water quality in city d }433 J .E3 3 .) ,g)'M $ 85 streams for more than two years, has 8Ek - -

.l y',, E g' cornplained repestedly to both city offi.

] g - } , .jjT , [i, cials and EPD regardmg unrepaired new-g .i ., I "

4 ers. In some cases her complaints sparked

' j I 1.[ remedial efforts by city crews, but. Stead-E 1 '

yg sf Q man maintains, not soon enough to pre-g =I'5 W vent contamination of nearby waters.

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s Last July,for example, Steadman led (4,a . ,5 E a group ofstudenis on ier monitoring 8

5 f ,1 project in the t.hoy Creek ares Their sane

) ,j,14 j 3 J gw ,.1. -a g ;:

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] pies showed extremely high fecal-col-iform counts, indicating the stream was 5

p .= if g jf j , ~ g A 'g g polluted whh sewege. Afler searching for the source, the team located a broken sewer pipe.

"The [Atlants] Departrnent of Public Works was well aware of this and did n othing about it." she says.

Eventustly, Steadman and her team located two "mgjor breaksthat appeared to have existed for some time One, i > gw 5 Weal, feer 33A l

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. {aps sA Aft.orTA ausrNESs CHRONICtf Fabrisery 10.is. Jr S

< ; ' Questions remain about Atlanta's aging sewerlines

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Dr Juus g.Stairetos swa sensa

• ' newer lines such as the one thal collapsed.

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- Aher more than tieer years of wran- No sewer system is footpmof, but tech.

Q gling with the staiew -- _.--- _: Pro- nology to minunite both envuonmental

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'> tection Division (EPD), the city of damage and snaintenance expense is Atlanta now treets the coruminant. filled available.

3 water passing ihrough its Combined Although limited in its options by g .* O Sewer Overflows (CSOs) But the city) urban developrnent. Atlanta, despite the 6

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'P. ,1 aging Inftsaructure still poses a risk to magnitude of problems it has experi-the state) water quality. enced with its sewage lines, has no y .. $. ..

ne problem is breaks and leakage in aggreserve or high-tech preventive main-1 - *

Atlanta) antiquated sewer pipes, which senance plans in the works.

3**

b annually dump unknown thousands of Conversely, Fulton County is in the lat.

( pallons of row sewage into area creeks Ier stages of a $7,3 milhon comprehen-j j

y /o'~ /[ and streams. The 1993 eollapse of a eNe sewar network study that hasmapped major newer line in midtown killed two its 2,000 mile course and 40,000 man-people and gehenized public support for holes. Once complete, the study not on!y i

j

• A. - improving Atlanta) infrastructure.

will detail the condition of Fuhon) sew.

Chamist VMan Standman: What commg out of these t>roken poes? Donl ask But little of the money in the city) er system, much of which is far newer

-h!994 bond package isentmarked tosepair than Atlantai,but also willleave b

'%  % 6. % b. . gg sensitrvecomputerned momfors that will I

.gg v ., allow county workers to continuously 4

C NI i ME assess the conditions in sewer pipes coun-N hCAWtf( RE6Ot1R Gd @lBCg((idp q tywide and bend offproblems be

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Wbcq MV I 110lo pWM . becorne unmanageable.

we ted io ieave ermagh pieces in place that we would be able to collect

~N more data mer time," explains Howen!

Olhah ,

dk a a i SAA- t i uit n o t )eps eh ff .yfq ~ b, p!3 E ~j g g l .

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E w Pubhc Works.*By spendrng a httle more money up hunt, we could save a lor of g-i yE i I g. money mer the yed I j

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g The long-term monitors will cost the l

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k2 coumy an additional $1.8 milhon, but l gg"8*E af E4- [ S sd k

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-w=_ Wallenstein argues the merits of the

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4.aF $ed $ . a "";"'*"""*'*"I'""'Y"i""'d' eppp gg}J j ~.E ,, j g neTrdirqr to figures provided by she

$ l' ( ggg bQ fhkq jl county pubhc works department "The biggest savings is,in responw f f 'l$p jw .'g [ ! E " ] a . g 5mjg time before the pubh,c is enconte.

nienced

• Wallenstem says. *ld just go mt gg 8 t

management.

] 4 go g g fj $ lower response jglll~'h[.~] I k3 lgl f74,a 7e

.i

1. By contrast, seversi complaints on file gy-a'# l[ " !.[ at EPD indrate the city of Atlanta takes

g. l a somewhat different approach to main-j ,I d3 2 -

d t-! ,i #

5 g .g a l '. tenance on its 2,300 miles of semer hnes

" g 2.8 and80,960 manholes. As Aprilg,1994, j k .j  ! I ,=g d letter to James Walker, Atlanta division dI .2Rg ga { '$ **

q g chief of sewer operations, from Marge L. ~ .e: 2 * ~ Coffing details ongoing, year-old semer

.j I pkZ3% 3 ga fgagI g r.oblems that caused raw sewage lo flood u sP$D .e Coffing) yard and enter feschtree Creek.

Vivian L Steadinan, a chemist who

}d j has monitored water quality in city I = g.E ,f ~U{"$ streams for more than two years, has

.g j g, '5 complained repeatedly to both city ofTi.

(! u{"[3  ; T =,

j %g cials and EPD reFardmg unrepaired sew-3 ,g g g ! ers. In some cases her complaints sparked E

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" N E Jg* f R/

remedial efforts by city crews. but. Sread-man maintains, not soon enough to pre.

a.

!~g '$fg '},,'y j

sg; 5 y at h 4 f

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• ent contamination of nearby weiers.

Last July, for example, Steadman led a

( 2 ( group of students on a water. monitoring Si {i -

E 'i 1g 3 pr jectintheUtoyCreekarea Theirsam-g  ! j jeu'E . b a pies showed extremely high fecal col-63 g/) g 5

P "fi 3 "" gd , g ]j g .

yy iform courris, indicating the stream was pnlluted with sewage. AAersearching for l

the source, the team located a broken sewer pipe.

"The [ Atlanta] Department of Pubhc Works was well aware of this and did nothing about it," she asys.

Evemunify, Steadman and her team located two " major breaks"that appeared to have existed for some time. One,

> 3ee etwsal, Part 33A 1

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Rh.2}rd,1995 to tle Emtim Dimiar, LB NPC, Mdingtcn IC 2G55 0001. R3: Dira infccaticn to in nenvi to f D((. .206 lbtiticn, MI:1y Mrler Ihmrth Iwr+rr, Atlanta, Ltdet 50-160.

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Rt. 22rd,1935 e

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' 'Ihis is with myrd to Ir. Kara:s' letta to W. Stdr of tin Atlanta NC office, Jan. lath 1995

?h, ard tha letta to Dr. Karan fran Iowell Onters, 011ef Digineer of tin City of Atlanta of Jan. 9th'95

.411* - regarding tin mwer line (72 irth stcnn somr).

I spcke to W. Onters tcxby ahlt his letta. 'Ile "rataral drainage area" as a stran, a cruic,

)  % crigirally . 'De granite bicds are cart of altare, ad a:rnrta$ with to nortar, as Wm this mtt FL tr, _

of votk ms &m, am ago, the nymQ ms wry gni. Rwwr, of cmrse ente is a sna11 atocnt of eter tlat infiltrates inbo thme granite black gnnm betmst si bicck. That es

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cfing on, as tint a brokm pipe abwe the granite pipe ms art of abwe tin granite pipe, ard 'IlmT pipe was Imkirg into tin granite pipe through a joint in the granite, so tley rqaired tiat pige.

WM 'Dn granite block pipe articn is 60 irds . 'Ile astrticn is (as stata$ in W. Outers letter) tlat en granite pcrticm were cxmtnetsi with tle crigiral strwts tete they cromed a retural draimge ,

arm, i.e. the cro9c . A problan mitri be as follows: the granite pcrticn es rot Igaired (this type of amazirg crmtneticn is rot used arrfarre, apart fran tre ract tmt it wina cIst, a Icrtune ard be wty difficnit to cb, ard you inve tint ptchlan with dere tle joints rmet b4:wmn biccks) ard hmm of all tle crnstncticn ard the fact that tin reactcr and frility ms pt in the st2pid locaticn it es put in, the granitn part now nm thmrjh grnrdater ch:p below tin grtxnd ard Mr. Oxrturs said thty luve to chta cn whetirr cr rrt it tas settled, i.e is sinking. Ea6 tine it rains, as soil tests artnd the rectar arm ctre by HU sine cxntanireticn, tlat cxntanimticn will be in tin grourdater and will lave infiltrated via the tiny cracks betwesi the granite hicds alm. Pits, dm there is najcr bedcflerrlirg (like in the repcrt ctre fcr 'Ib6 stated - ard muh, the authtr of tlat rqxrt W.

Jackstn told ne he ind rot kron af the Irw+rr) since eter can infiltrate into tin pipe, tidr hich tasc-flood peasure, it cuny eucap2 cutthe Ma & between tine tirrt cracts.

W. Quirrs letta cinrly ctata:::" 'Ihis cawer ms not czmtructcd by tin City of Atlanta. It is ccmichrui to te a ";rinte"ccur ard is rot Inrt of tin" City systm " . Orrrently cur ruxrth are limited." Ib thm gm u1 to c@ lain tint by ir=+4rn tiny know tint tin mjcr grticn is custncted of pre-cast 10 pi;n ard tlut"two shrt secticns,103 fmt trdr State St. and 83 feet irrtr Atlantic drive , are cnntncted of granite hicdc. hb asstre tlat tin granite grtians utre cxmtneta$ with tin crigital strwts >!nte thy crrmai a rat 2ral drairap arm." (i.e tin crmk)

'De mctcr abar.t sits in a " bowl", with fairly stap hills surrtmiing rat of it, 211ch is of cours ptiably ane of tin mtnE thra ms a creak there tlat ms art of biccked and diverted to tin side scrmdnt. 1bever, civicanly large atants of eter are still goirg to nale their my into tlat "towl"  ;

as mtar drairs off tle hills abwe ard below grourd. 'Ilu sail is grtwhly mrictnly atoid below- i grotrd loth trrhr tha reactor anu and around tin awr lirrn, tich ms ptrtnhly why tlute ms tlat sinkhole trot to tin reactor yoars ap tlat cpt fil1M in.

,, Rt.23rd,1995 Qxrgia DO, Ibdiaticn Divisicns Mr. Hill told nn tcrby tint GIrgia 'Itxt " curs the

, s ntaltA0 ", so it unid agxnr tint if it is rrt ratave3 (ard tle msitm-137) like I asked fcr, they j utnid be willire to ridt tin lm.ith, afety ard lives of tin stadmts cn cangs and en stire city y by luving it in sum a 1craticn. 'Ihis uauld irdxd be ay114rg, art of lika inving tie SWtrd af

,~ j nrrre1m hrging outr (ad grtaps mdy to slien tnir) tin City ard the Olynpics. Of course cre can almys hap 2 tint Gorgia 'Itxh ard ' Ire Atlanta Q2nnittee fcr tin Olynpic Gxnes will arHnly Itnlim ,

this atire sitanticn is awful (grhaps hmm of ny peticn, ad GYE's 5r=* petiticn agLimt  !

givirg out arctirr limm fcr tint old cimp cf a Irw+rr) ard decich to be cyad citime and gLt p

noving cn Mut I adc tucbr ny gtiticn, (hopa strirry eterral as they say) thn all actg las to urry

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l Q about (and MC too) are all the ritimr plants in are around Grrgia and t}n DOE's Swanrah Riwr Nucimr q farility - that 300 synre trile wishe - just tp river frun tin yafting in Savannah, ard gay n tinre is rn eartign'e, arr1 tlat all tie utrich' terrtrists go to sicq fcr a mp1n of trah.

Grrgia Iber Orpmy druid luve gtm into m1ar and wird energy imtad of raclear antgy, but tryire to tell thin not to build rtricar plants as a bit lile tryirg trying to put tle Ihcific QIan by  ;

aIxpirq a Itad thrur;h it with a tuagxxn.... tin differum hing cre utuld lave hx3 nrre of a danm l a: toping th? Ibcific .

2 Fwmrae ny mtiti<n, it is en cnly srmible me nacal thing to cb. E-vdh\ ,0A&. w-

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f* %uA. DEemaa adcyoamn. ***% f*Wmeses o%%LE I g

Mr. Wlb,les 'MWr pwse.%esms senEst utEs u i L63 D\\ -

REM m ucu AxLa4rm% %. l

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