Continuing to repair segments of water and sewer piping as they failed (as we had in the past) was also not an option. We have neither the manpower nor the resources to “keep up” with line breaks and leaks as they occur because our infrastructure is simply too old to do this successfully.
In addition to considering “trenchless technologies” for refurbishing existing sewers in place (see more below), the Master Plan covered two broad options for replacing the existing sewer infrastructure:
• Gravity System: Replace the existing gravity sewers and manholes “in kind”. This means that new sewers and manholes would be installed in the same locations and at the same depths as the existing sewers and manholes.
• Low-Pressure System: Replace the existing gravity sewers and manholes with a modern “low pressure sewer system”.
The Master Plan recommended a pressure sewer system because it was a proven and reliable solution that was considerably less expensive than replacing the existing gravity system “in kind”. Mostly due to the size and depth of the existing lines.