The Cost of Doing Nothing

We’ve all heard these expressions before and often wonder, especially when it’s our responsibility to stop the hemorrhage, what to do. In today’s economy the gap between municipal infrastructure repair needs and available funding is often quite wide. However, even in this economy opportunities exist to make small, periodic maintenance expenditures pay off big in a very short time.

As a manager in any municipality you know how hard money is to come by. That’s why you can’t afford to ignore leaks in Sanitary Sewer Manholes! And even though you’ve budgeted properly and expenditures on repairs are tracking month to month as projected you want to be sure your spending those hard to come by dollars in places that create a verifiable return to your systems bottom line.

Compared to treatment cost, chemical grouting to seal manhole infiltration is a BARGAIN! Not only that but it is the right solution with verifiable, proven results.

Consider: On average 30 – 40% of a municipalities total Inflow & Infiltration results from manhole infiltration alone. Do you know what it cost to treat one gallon of water in your wastewater treatment plant? If so, then you realize the importance of minimizing the amount of water entering your system through defects in  the manhole as well as pipe tie-ins at the manhole. If not, then here are a few facts that prove doing nothing may be wasting thousands of your system dollars.

Fact One:

One manhole leak at 5 gallons per minute will produce 2,628,000 gallons of water into your system annually. At an average treatment cost of $0.0035 cents per gallon ($3.50 per 1,000 gallons) that’s $9,198.00 per year.

Fact Two:

If your system has 500 manholes and we assume 5% of your systems manholes have leaks of this caliber then 25 repaired manholes would equal $229,950.00 in annual savings in the first year.

 Fact Three:

The low average cost to repair 25 manholes by chemical grout injection is $25,000.00, the high end cost would be around $50,000.00. This means that a total capital recovery on this expenditure is realized in as little as 40 to 80 days and $630.00 per day, previously operating expense is returned to your systems budget.

Fact Four:

Pending access and the logistics of the manholes our three-man crew can complete 3 to 6 manholes in a single day, which means savings begin from day one!

Fact Five:

Elimination of groundwater infiltration in your system will free up valuable capacity in your treatment plant postponing or potentially eliminating the need for costly expansion or new plant construction for years saving millions!

Fact Six:

The reduction of infiltration will lessen the likelihood of overflows and illegal discharges which can lead to fines and subjection to EPA scrutiny for years.

Fact Seven:

Infiltration through defects in the manhole wall expedites the deterioration of the structure and allows voids to form outside the wall of the manhole which leads to sink holes and settling of paved surfaces.

Chemical grouting is complimentary to most any infrastructure rehabilitation program. Even if you are considering a lining program for the structural rehabilitation of manholes consider chemical grouting first to stop infiltration and fill voids. After all, infiltration and voids are often the root cause of manhole structural failure.

The following white paper – The Role of Chemical Grouting in Wastwater Systems by Angus W. Stocking, details how chemical grouts play an important role in the quality and longevity of rehabilitating Sanitary Sewer Systems. This article highlights many misconceptions about chemical grouts, where they excel and their limitations.This is a must read for anyone who is in the process of, or considering the use of a manhole lining system as a standalone measure for controlling or reducing I&I in sanitary sewer collection systems.