Borough officials hope to go out for bids as soon as this week for repairs to the sewage treatment plant deepwater outfall line which was damaged by a boat anchor in September.
State and federal environmental officials “seem agreeable” to the borough’s plan to cut out the short, damaged section of 12-inch-diameter plastic pipe, then reconnect the undamaged pieces to restore flow, said Tom Wetor, Public Works director.
Until the line is repaired, the borough will continue with its temporary solution of dumping treated water from the sewage plant along the beach near City Park, letting the tide flush away the wastewater.
After the repairs are complete, the line will go back to disbursing the outflow into the strait in water about 120 deep, more than 1,700 feet from shore.
The borough last week was working to finish the bid documents and scope of work for an underwater repair contractor, Wetor said. The break in the line is in water about 77 feet deep, about 1,500 feet from shore.
“There are only so many companies that can do that,” he said of the deepwater work to cut and reattach the line with couplers. He hopes for a Southeast or at least Alaska-based contractor, to save on mobilization costs and time.
A schedule for repairs and resuming use of the line depends on how soon a contractor can mobilize and get on site, Wetor said.
The borough has estimated the total cost of repairs at about $100,000, he said, which includes everything starting with the break on Sept. 11 when crews had to dig up and cut the pipe at the beach to provide a release point for the flow from the wastewater plant.
About half of the $100,000 will go toward the upcoming underwater repairs, Wetor said.
After the line is restored, borough crews will repair the line at the beach to finish the job.
The borough manager and attorney are pursuing a claim with the boat owner’s insurance company, Wetor said. A video last month of the damaged section of line shows an anchor attached to the pipeline.
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