Committee Gives Engineers Preliminary Approval to Spend an Additional $87,000 On Smoke Testing

Elmhurst's stormwater consultants got a preliminary go-ahead Monday night from the Public Works and Buildings Committee to spend an additional $87,300 on sewer testing in the southwest part of the city. If approved by the full City Council, the extra smoke tests will begin in early September.

The city has a with Christopher Burke Engineering/RJN Group to study areas of the city that repeatedly flood, and to come up with a comprehensive list of solutions for these areas. Crews from RJN have been conducting tests in various parts of the city that have reported storm water issues in the past.

One of the tests in the city's contract involves blowing smoke through the sewer system to find out where the smoke exits, which can be potential spots for stormwater to enter the sewer system. Earlier this year, in an effort to pare down the costs of the contract, the City Council ordered only an initial test of 30,000 linear feet of the city's sewer system, with the understanding that RJN would request more tests if needed.

On Monday, Al Hollenbeck with RJN explained why his group is asking to test 137,500 more linear feet of sewer. There could be a few areas within the city that are responsible for much of the inflow into the sanitary system, causing clean water to be fully treated as part of the wastewater process. Or, a storm pipe joint could be leaking onto a sanitary pipe joint. Additional testing would get the engineers closer to finding these areas, Hollenbeck said.

The committee agreed that extra focus on the southwest part of the city was appropriate.

“These were the areas that got hammered,” committee Chairman and 6th Ward Alderman Jim Kennedy said.

The warm and rainy weather soon will end, committee members said.

“Time is of the essence,” 2nd Ward Alderman Bob Dunn said.

The request will go before the full council in early September.