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Item No: 7E Meeting Date: January 10, 2011 Type of Business: Council Business Administrator Review: ____ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Don Peterson, Public Works Supervisor Item Title/Subject: Resolution 7722, Approving the Purchase of a 2011 Vactor Sewer Cleaning Truck Background: The Public Works Department includes a maintenance program to maintain the 41+ miles of sanitary sewer, 44+ miles of storm sewer, two lift stations, 900+ manholes and over 1500 storm water catch basins. The sanitary sewer lines are cleaned annually which is accomplished by using water pressure to scrub the lines clean of grease, soap and sand build up. The lines are then televised, if roots are discovered by video inspection they are then cut out using a water hydraulic root saw. Staff is proud to report that in the past 3 years the City’s sewer lines have not had a back-up. Storm sewer lines are cleaned less frequently due to the natural water hydraulics this function helps to keep the pipes clean. However, the lines need to be cleaned regularly and can be more time consuming than the sanitary sewer due to the sizes of the pipe involved. Additional Background: The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust has created a sanitary sewer incentive program that could help cities with aggregate claims of sewer back-ups. In order for the City of Mounds View to qualify, there are a number of items the City must meet. One of these is to properly maintain the sanitary sewer lines by cleaning on a regular basis and visually inspecting the same system on a regular time frame. To clean the sanitary sewer lines, the City purchased a combination sewer cleaning truck that uses water to clean the lines and vacuum any debris at the bottom of the manhole structures. This unit was purchased in 1995, and during the spring, summer and fall months it is used to clean the lines daily. (Due to the cold winter temperatures, the sewer cleaning truck is used only as necessary and therefore the program is side lined until the spring.) Currently there is 12,598 miles on the unit which averages to 839 miles a year. While the mileage is low, the total hours are high at 5,032. This is an average of 335.5 hours a year or approximately 9.5 hours a day for the seven months a year it is used. As equipment ages the performance drops and the unit becomes less reliable. Staff has noticed that the transmission appears to be slipping and the pump used for jetting is growing weaker.