The Pleasant Prairie Sewer Utility is working on the second phase of a multi-year rehabilitation project in the Cooper Road sewer drainage basin. The area is generally located north of 85th Street between Cooper Road and 56th Avenue.
Work includes relining sanitary sewer mains with a special material that will seal any cracks and prevent storm water from leaking into the sanitary sewer and overloading the system. The sewer in the area was constructed of clay during the 1950s. There are nearly 2.4 miles of sanitary sewer main and 222 six inch laterals that run to residential property lines within this sewer drainage basin.
During rain events, the sewer flow in the area will increase tenfold (compared to dry conditions). This indicates that stormwater is entering the sanitary sewer through one of three ways, cracks in the sewer main, cracks in the private sewer lateral, or through illegal connections of residential sump pumps to the sanitary sewer.
The Village has contracted with Visu-Sewer for the sanitary sewer relining. The process consists of inserting a specially treated lining into the sanitary sewer main and then heating it. The lining then adheres to the main and becomes hardened. A camera is sent through the sewer main to identify connection points with residential laterals. When a connection point is identified, a laser will cut an opening to the residential lateral. The process takes approximately one day to complete per section of sewer main.
This approach to repairing sewer main is more efficient and less costly than the traditional approach. The alternative is to open the street, remove the existing sewer main, replace it, and then repave the street, a process that can take about six weeks to accomplish by comparison.