Coos Bay Sewer Pipe Collapse Update, Feb. 17

Message from CB Mayor Joe Benetti, Feb. 16, 2023 – Maintaining ageing infrastructure can be challenging and can cause public inconvenience and adversely impact businesses. As a community, we experienced this firsthand this week when a section of a wastewater collection pipe failed under Hwy 101 near Morgan’s Veterinary Hospital. The pipe in question was installed in 1919 and much of the downtown collection system in or around Hwy 101 is old. City crews systematically check the health of sanitary sewer lines as well as storm water pipes by utilizing a sewer pipe inspection camera system. Given the number of miles of underground pipe, portions of the system are checked every two to three years and more problematic areas are checked more frequently. This section under Hwy 101 was most recently inspected in 2021 and at the time no pipe deficiencies were observed. The failure of the pipe caused a 12’ x 12’ x 5’ deep void that had developed beneath the southbound lanes of Hwy 101. The pipe in this section of town varied in depth from 12’ to 19’ below the road surface. The depth of the pipe and the large void required both lanes of Hwy 101 to be closed which resulted in the need to reroute traffic. As you all realize every time you get a utility bill, operating a wastewater utility is expensive! There are costs related to the collections and treatment of the wastewater received, but there is also an ongoing need to reinvest in repair and replacement of the many components that make up our community’s wastewater system. Did you know that our sanitary sewer system includes over 90 miles of sanitary sewer pipes, 22 sanitary sewer pump stations, and two wastewater treatment plants? The City also oversees maintenance of an extensive stormwater collection and management system, which includes three storm pump stations, and approximately 48 miles of gravity piping. Since I have been Mayor (November 2016), the Council has invested $45,576,834.97 in capital improvements of the utility which funded replacement and upgrades of several pump stations, replacement of underground pipes, and a new treatment plant in Empire. We are currently in the process of replacing two older pump stations, upgrading two others, and getting ready to undertake major capital improvements to the downtown treatment plant which was originally built in the 1950s. The pipe has been replaced and the area around the pipe has been backfilled with rock. A five foot deep layer of slurry (concrete) has been poured over the area as required by ODOT. Crews are waiting for the concrete to cure which has been slowed by the recent cold temperatures. The contractors estimate that they will be able to begin paving on Friday afternoon and finish laying down the final layers on Saturday. We expect the road to be reopened to traffic on Sunday. My thanks to Knife River Materials along with many of our staff who worked around the clock to replace the failed pipe and rebuild this section of the highway. And to our citizens and business owners who were impacted by this project, I appreciate your patience and understanding.