HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0365.000 1998-2000 June 9, 1999 9socsa
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Mr. Jiro A. Sumada c0 ~ rc- ~J
Chief Engineer ~ ~ 'T'
Department of Public Works °J C-'
County of Hawai i O - r-_'
25 Aupuni Street 3
Hilo, Hawaii 96720 2;i ~ i-'
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Dear Mr. Sumada: ~
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Subject: East and West Hawaii County
Sewer System Maintenance Inspections
We have attached copies of our inspection reports on the subject sewer
systems. The following items were noted in our reports:
1. Sections 21-5(b)(1) and 21-5(b)(3) of the Hawaii County Code need
to be deleted because they conflict with Hawaii Administrative
Rules;
2. The I/I problems on Alii Drive and Kalanianaole Avenue need to be
corrected; and
3. Sewer user charges must be adequate to fund the current and
longterm sewer rehabilitation, repair, and replacement plans.
We have also included recommendations for sewer maintenance improvements which
are noted in the respective reports.
Please submit an affirmative action plan addressing the noted items by
August I1, 1999.
If you have any questions, please call Steven Sato of our Wastewater Branch at
direct toll free no. 974-4000 extension 64294.
Since e ,
G:~~~.
THOMAS E. ARIZUMI, P.E.
Chief, Environmental Management Division
- Wastewater Branch
jC ~ ~~~~~~'~"6 Environmental Management Division
^ ~ ° State Department of Health
Comm. No.
AttdChment v 919 ALA MOANA BOULEVAR U,ROOM 309
- HONOLULU HAwAU 9seia Idle No, S~ l1'
c: /County Council Public Works Chairperson (w/ report) Ref. To: ~6't/PG
EPA Region 9 [Attn: Dan Meer (w/ report)] Reg, Date JUL U 2 X999
BEWER BYSTEM MAINTENANCE REPORT
BACRGRODND DATA
County: Hawaii (West Hawaii)
Date(s) of inspection: 3/19/99
Inspector(s): Steven Sato
County Representative(s)/Job Title:
Merton Ogata / Sewer Maintenance Supervisor
Lyle Hirota / Superintendent
Approximate miles of sexers in the system: 13
Approximate*pa56Spopulallcaed by the system: 10,000
1: Current status of deficiencies cited is previous inspection reports:
Deficiency: Staff have not been trained on hox to consistently
estimate xastexatar spills.
Status: County employees Merton Ogata, Lyle Hirota, and David Yamamoto
have received training on estimating spill volumes. The
method of estimating involves the surface area and depth of
the spill area, observable flows from the spill source, per
capita wastewater flows, and average flow data (if known).
Deficiency: Chapter 21 of the Haxaii County Coda requires that every
lot xhich is accessible to a sexer be connected within a
120 day period. Hoxaver, section 21-5(b)(1) alloxs lots
xhich have plumbing fixtures located on them and xhich
xere in euistenee prior to July i, 1989 be exempted from
this rule. Also, Section 21-5(b)(3) exempts "lots
accessible to a sexer xhich xas paid for, in xhole or in
part, by a private developer for the purpose of serving
a private development as provided for in chapter 21,
article 3, division a of the Haxaii County Code, as
amended." These esemptiona conflict xith Chapter 11-62
of the Haxaii Administrative Rules (HAR), entitled
"Wastexater 8pstema." Section 11-62-06(b) states "All
building(s) generating paetexater and located xithin or
near proximity of an available public sexer system as
determined by the director, shall connect to the public
sewer."
Status: An ordinance was drafted to address these issues.
IInfortunately, the ordinance was reviewed and rejected by the
County Council.
1
2. Modifications/Additions - Planned/Present Construction Status:
La'iopua Subdivision Collectors (225 homes).
Alii Drive Phase 3 - within 2 years.
CURRENT INSPECTION
1. Maintenance:
All lines in the collection system are cleaned annually. A total of
approximately 15.5 miles of lines are cleaned annually (this includes
recleaning of trouble areas). All line cleaning is recorded on a sheet
of paper with the date, location, comments (eg., type of debris found),
and length of line cleaned. Majority of the cleaning is performed on a
quarterly basis. Visual inspections of manholes in known trouble areas
are performed three days per week. These visual inspections are
recorded in the crew's logbook. Sometimes the log entries are too brief
(eg., "line checks ok" - no details on which lines checked).
The sewer maintenance supervisor has the collection system area maps and
also a master listing of all the manholes in the system. These maps and
listing are currently not utilized in tracking the cleaning of the lines
and manholes.
The County has a standard operating procedure (SOP) for permit required
confined space entry. This SOP is applied to sewer manhole entry.
All repair work is currently contracted out. The county is in the
process of procuring link pipe repair sleeve equipment and chemical
grouting equipment for the line crew. The Datastream MP-2 system is
utilized in managing the supply of spare parts.
2. Staffing:
A staffing analysis utilizing the EPA's June 1973 manual, Manpower
Requirements for Wastewater Collection Svstems in Cities and Towns uo to
150,000 in Population, determined that the present line maintenance crew
is adequate to perform required inspection, cleaning, and minor repairs.
However, the staffing analysis does not address items such as traffic
control, confined space entry, maintenance of easements, and
construction inspections of repair work and new sewer connections.
3. Spills:
There have been no spills due to sewerline problems thus far in calendar
year 1999. There were also no spills reported in calendar year 1998.
4. Present Deficiencies:
a) Sections 21-5(b)(1) and 21-5(b)(3) of Chapter 21 of the Hawaii
County Code, which are exemptions to the mandatory sewer connection
requirement, should be deleted. These exemptions conflict with
Section 11-62-06(b) of the Hawaii Administrative Rules which
2
states, "All building(s) generating wastewater and located within
or near proximity of an available public sewer system as determined
by the director, shall connect to the public sewer;"
b) Long-term planning for sewer repair, rehabilitation and replacement
appears to be in jeopardy as it appears that current sewer user
charges are not sufficient to fund the work. The wastewater
administration budget has recently lost $700,000 in general funds
which had been used in previous years to supplement the sewer user
charges; and
c) The infiltration/inflow problems on Alii Drive needs to be
corrected upon receipt of repair equipment and training of staff.
SIIMMARY/RECOMMENDATIONS
We have the following recommendations:
a) The line crew's logbook should contain more detailed information.
Suggested inclusions are: crew member names, time, street name and
numbers, manhole I.D. number, line size, wastewater flow, what was done,
conditions found, type/amount of material removed, amount of auxiliary
water used, and recommendations (e.g., CCTV required, manhole needs
rehabilitation due to concrete spalling, line needs to be replaced due
to cracks, etc.);
b) For all deficiencies/recommendations recorded by the cleaning crew (such
as manhole repair required or CCTV of line recommended), the supervisor
or superintendent should keep a list of the recorded items along with
the current status and time schedule for various milestone events
required to complete the job; and
c) The master listing of all manholes and lines in the collection area
should be utilized to track cleaning and inspection dates.
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SEWER SYSTEM MAINTENANCE REPORT
BACKGROUND DATA
County: Hawaii (East Hawaii)
Date(s) of inapectloa: 3/24/99
inspector(s): Steven Sato
County Representative(s)/Job Title:
Paul Ochi / Sewer Maintenance Supervisor
Lyle Hirota / Superintendent
Approximate miles of sewers in the system: 32
Approximate population served by the system: 21,946
1. Current status of deficiencies cited in previous inspection reports:
Deficiency: Staff have not been trained on how to consistently
estimate wastewater spills.
Status: County employees Lyle Hirota and David Yamamoto have received
training on estimating spill volumes. The method of
estimating involves the surface area and depth of the spill
area, observable flows from the spill source, per capita
wastewater flows, and average flow data (if known). The Sewer
Maintenance Supervisor, Paul Ochi, has had limited training
due to the fact that he has only been on board for a few
months.
Deficiency: Chapter 21 of the Hawaii County Code requires that every
lot which is accessible to a sewer be connecte8 within a
120 day period. However, Section 21-5(b)(1) allows lots
which have plumbing fixtures located on them and which
were in existence prior to July 1, 1989 be exempted from
this rule. Also, Section 21-5(b)(3) exempts "lots
accessible to a sewer which was paid for, in whole or in
part, by a private developer for the purpose of serving
a private development as provided for in chapter 21,
article 3, division 4 of the Hawaii County Code, as
amended." These exemptions conflict with Chapter 11-62
of the Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR), entitled
"Wastewater Systems." Section i1-62-06(b) states "All
building(s) generating wastewater and located within or
near proximity of an available public sewer system as
determined by the director, shall connect to the public
sewer."
1
Status: An ordinance was drafted to address these issues.
Unfortunately, the ordinance was reviewed and rejected by the
County Council.
2. Modifications/Additions - Planned/Present Construction Status:
Rehabilitation of Hilo Bayfront lines by slip lining - only punchlist
items remain.
Sewer extension in Waiakea Houselots - Construction ongoing.
Sewer extension in Paukaa and replacement of portions of the system -
just starting.
CIIRRENT INSPECTION
1. Maintenance:
The line crew's goal is to clean at least 10 miles of line per year.
Therefore all lines ir. the collection system should be cleaned at least
once every three years. Problem lines are cleaned more frequently
(based on maintenance history). The dated logbook is utilized to record
all work performed by the crew, including: camera inspection, visual
inspection, lines cleaned, type of debris found, and water usage. The
sewer maintenance supervisor transfers the information from the logbook
to a maintenance folder. The supervisor also records the total length
of pipe cleaned. Trouble areas are visually inspected monthly. These
trouble areas are listed on the office blackboard. Camera inspection is
conducted periodically to aid in evaluation of maintenance requirements
and schedules.
The sewer maintenance supervisor has the collection system area maps and
is presently working on giving an identification number to all manholes
in the system. The collection system area maps are utilized to track
the cleaned lines (with colored markers and dates).
The County has a standard operating procedure (SOP) for permit required
confined space entry. This SOP is applied to sewer manhole entry.
All repair work is currently contracted out. The county is in the
process of procuring link pipe repair sleeve equipment and chemical
grouting equipment for the line crew. The Datastream MP-2 system is
utilized in managing the supply of spare parts.
2. Staffing:
A staffing analysis utilizing the EPA's June 1973 manual, Manpower
Requirements for Wastewater Collection Svstems in Cities and Towns up to
150.000 in Population, determined that the present line maintenance crew
is adequate to perform required inspection, cleaning, and minor repairs.
However, the staffing analysis does not address manpower needs for items
such as traffic control, confined space entry, maintenance of easements
and assisting of other sections.
2
3. Spills:
There has been one spill of 2000 gallons due to sewerline problems thus
far in calendar year 1999. A total of five sewerline spills were
reported in calendar year 1998.
4. Present Deficiencies:
a) Sections 21-5(b)(1) and 21-5(b)(3) of Chapter 21 of the Hawaii
County Code, which are exemptions to the mandatory sewer connection
requirement, should be deleted. These exemptions conflict with
Section 11-62-06(b) of the Hawaii Administrative Rules which
states, "All building(s) generating wastewater and located within
or near proximity of an available public sewer system as determined
by the director, shall connect to the public sewer;"
b) Long-term planning for sewer repair, rehabilitation and replacement
appears to be in jeopardy as it appears that current sewer user
charges are not sufficient to fund the work. The wastewater
administration budget has recently lost $700,000 in general funds
which had been used in previous years to supplement the sewer user
charges; and
c) Infiltration problems on Kalanianaole Avenue need to be corrected
upon receipt of repair equipment and training of staff.
SUMMARY/RECOMMENDATIONS
We have the following recommendations:
a) Continue assessing the condition of all manholes and lines in the
collection system. For all deficiencies/recommendations recorded by the
line crew during their cleaning/inspection routines, the supervisor
should maintain a list of the recorded items along with the present
status and time schedule for various milestone events required to
complete the job; and
b) Complete the identification process of all manholes and lines in the
collection system and upon completion, compose a master listing of all
the manholes and lines. Use the master listing to track cleaning and
inspection dates.
3