Madison City Council is moving forward with an emergency plan to correct stormwater issues causing serious concerns on Candler Lane.
The situation there was serious enough for the council to have a special called meeting on Jan. 12 to discuss a solution.
Council members were shown photos of a collapsing 48-inch pipe and associated debris and sediment causing water to overflow into residential yards.
City engineer Aaron Wadley said that as a preventative measure, the pipe was cut so the water could continue to flow in its intended direction. Although Wadley said the situation was relatively stable at that time, continued rain could cause further problems and open up the pipe again.
Wadley said the project could cost in the $300,000 range. City Manager John Klimm recommended immediate action.
“If we don’t fix this there could be devastating consequences over there to multiple residences,” Klimm said. “We’re really behind the eight ball here. The question is, even though this is a lot of money, what is our liability if we don’t fix it? Are we going to be looking at 10 times this amount?”
Wadley said contractor Alan Ward has been contacted and was ready to begin work on the project as soon as the pipe could be delivered in the next couple of weeks.
The contract to hire the company to do the work could be ratified as early as Feb. 2 when the Madison council next meets.
In the meantime, Wadley said the area is being monitored regularly.
Wadley said the pipe issues have resulted in a large hole in a small yard which has created a safety hazard in the neighborhood, but city staff have done their best to seal off the area with barriers.
Wadley said the metal pipe that was installed 20 years ago – which is its projected usefulness – will be replaced with a 60-inch high-density plastic (HDP) pipe that should last much longer.
Water has been problematic in this area for a long time, with the city dealing with a similar but less alarming situation last year. That pipe was also replaced with an HDP pipe.
Councilor Carrie Peters-Reid asked if homeowners on Candler Lane would have any liability for the failing pipe, but Klimm and City Planner Monica Callahan said the pipes belong to the City of Madison.
City Councilman Eric Joyce lives on the other end of the street from the collapsed pipe.
Klimm said funds are available in the existing budget to correct the problem, but he again recommended the city begin a stormwater utility program to deal with such issues in the future.
“We take care of our water issues with the water rates, our sewer issues with the sewer rates, but we don’t have a stormwater utility program,” Klimm said. “This is just a perfect example of why we need to create one, start collecting the money and putting it aside for these very reasons. This is just a wake-up call.”
Many Georgia municipalities and counties have implemented stormwater utility programs in recent years. The programs charge residents a user fee to cover the cost of managing runoff that is created by development.
The city of Suwannee, for example, charges a fee of approximately $90 per year for the average single-family house with commercial development charged based on the size of the impervious surface created by structures and paving on a parcel. According to the city of Suwanee’s website, the average shopping center pays approximately $15,000 per year in user fees.
Although no official action could be approved during a called meeting, Councilor Ed Latham said he wanted a motion, so city staff could move forward with the project.
Latham then made the motion which was approved unanimously.