Starting likely this month, the city of Fulton will begin using cameras to inspect the main sewer line in Stinson Creek for structural flaws and other problems that officials think are increasing flow to the wastewater treatment plant.
The city council passed a resolution at its Sept. 10 meeting to hire VSI&C, an underground pipe and sewer line cleaning and inspection service out of Bolivar, to carry out the task on the 12,000 feet of line.
City Engineer Greg Hayes said the project would be carried out to eliminate infiltration and inflow. Infiltration happens when groundwater enters the sewer system through damaged joints and broken or cracked pipes in the line, while inflow occurs due to uncapped sewer cleanouts, illegal roof and drain connections or faulty manhole covers.
"Utilities Superintendent Darrell Dunlap and I went to a conference this spring and were talking about what we were doing to eliminate our I and I (infiltration and inflow)," Hayes said. "We're still getting significant flows at the plant, and we compared the duration to when the creek was up and down, so we have a good idea we're getting it from the creek."