Village Sewer Cleaning on April 1st No Joke for Some Residents

By DARLA M. YOUNGS
COOPERSTOWN

Following an April 1 posting on the Facebook group Celebrate Cooperstown, in which Village of Cooperstown officials announced sewer cleaning to take place that day on Leatherstocking, Pine, Grove, and Maple streets, several Cooperstown residents reported damage to their homes on Facebook as a result of the operation. They also criticized village officials for their means of notification.

Karen Crissman, who said she had not been properly notified in advance, posted, “The sewer blew up in my lower bathroom. Five [feet] high, even on the ceiling!”

Shelby Heller posted, “I found a letter turned upside down under my porch chair six [hours] later.”

The notice from Kenyon Pipeline Inspection LLC advised property owners that the cleaning was in preparation for sewer rehabilitation and to “keep all toilet lids closed when our crew is working on your street.”

“Sewer cleaning requires the use of high pressure water to flush sewer mains,” the notice continued. “This creates a pressure differential in the sewer main that normally escapes through the roof vent in your sewer connection. Under unusual circumstances, it is possible for this pressure differential to push the contents of your sewer trap into your sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, etc.”

The notice also advised residents that they could put towels on the floor around toilets and cover interior plumbing drains to contain any backflow. However, some residents feel even this information was misleading.

“My entire lower level bathroom floor is ruined, as well as a box of brand new flooring,” Heller posted on Facebook. “This was nothing that a couple of towels would have fixed.”

An April 2 e-mail communication from Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh stated:

“The village is addressing an inflow and infiltration issue which is placing an undue burden on our Waste Water Treatment Plant. In essence, the gallons processed by our WWTP far exceed the gallons introduced to the system by our Water Department. This can be a result of water infiltration into sanitary lines, or additional ground water added to the system by sump pumps and storm drains illegally connected to the sewer system.

“The Environmental Facilities Corporation provided an engineering grant to the village to locate areas of infiltration, by using camera televising, flow and smoke testing, and flow isolation/dye tracers,” Tillapaugh continued. “This evaluation is in support of a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation required inflow and infiltration program. By analyzing the data, the engineering firm hired under the grant will recommend and prioritize improvements to sanitary lines. The improvements will provide further water quality protection measures for the Susquehanna River.”

Regarding the damage to village properties Tillapaugh said, “The camera televising firm, subcontracted by the engineers, utilized a hydro jetter to clear lines for effective camera imaging. In a few locations, this resulted in sewer back-up issues.”

Tillapaugh said residents who were affected were told to submit any invoices for cleaning services to the village Water and Sewer Board.

“The Water and Sewer Board will make reimbursement recommendations to the Board of Trustees,” she explained.

In total, more than 10,000 feet of sewer line was inspected on 13 streets in the village. Five of those—Grove, Leatherstocking, Maple and West Beaver streets, and Pine Boulevard—required cleaning and jetting, according to Tillapaugh.

“All camera work (the televising of sewer lines) by the subcontracted camera firm was completed Monday,” Tillapaugh said in an e-mail on Tuesday, April 8. “If the lines required cleaning in order to get images, notices informing the occupants of the camera work were delivered to residences in advance of working on their street.”

Tillapaugh clarified that sewage did back up on a couple homes on the Pine Boulevard line and in one location on Leatherstocking Street.

“The Water and Sewer Board will discuss adjustments, and the Board of Trustees will approve any adjustments,” Tillapaugh said. “Residents who feel they were affected should submit invoices for issues incurred.”

Tillapaugh pointed out that the calendar of events is posted on the main page of the village website, https://www.cooperstownny.org/, and includes all meeting dates.