WQCS00294_NOV-2019-DV-0399 Response_20191126

MAYOR
Cheryl Oliver
MAYOR PRO-TEM
Jacqueline Lacy
COUNCILMEMBERS
Tommy Holmes
Mark Petersen
Ann Williams
r TOWN MANAGER
Steven Hicks
,*maw TOWN CLERK
Jamie Whitley
E;E NIA
TOWN ATTORNEY
Alan "Chip" Hewett
M�
T ka C408=RCARf OF TRADMOH ^No 114"OVXTIGN
S. Jay Zimmerman, P.G., Chief
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Raleigh Regional Office
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
November 26, 2019
SUBJECT: NOV Letter Response -Tracking Number: NOV-2019-DV-0399
Permit No. WQCS00294
Selma Collection System
Johnston County
Mr. Zimmerman:
NC Dept afEnvironmental Quality
DEC 10 2019
Raleigh Regional Office
The Town of Selma has and is taking immediate action to resolve issues that contributed to the SSO's at the
manhole locations identified in this notice, on July 12, 2019, during an intense rain event. Incident numbers
201901217 and 201901218 were SSO's related to the same condition of increased flows brought on by severe
weather. These locations are manholes that backed up due to the Johnston County EQ basin being overwhelmed
by increased flow due to increased amount of rainfall that day.
Since Hurricane Florence, the Town of Selma has experienced an extreme increase of Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)
into the Town of Selma sewer system. On April 17th, 2019 the Town of Selma reached out to WithersRavenel for
assistance identifying potential sources of I&L On May 10, 2019 the Town pursued a Golden LEAF Disaster
Recovery (GLF-DR) grant to study the effects of Hurricane Florence on the sewer system. The Town was awarded
a GLF-DR grant of $142,000 to study the sanitary sewer impacts of Hurricane Florence on June 6, 2019. Contracting
began shortly after and work began immediately on the GLF-DR Sanitary Sewer Evaluation and Study (SSES)
Project. (Application documents provided shared Dropbox).
The Tasks associated with the GLF-DR grant area as follows:
Task 1--Surveying Services
-- Data Acquisition (Complete)
— GPS Manhole Locations and Internal 360 degree photography (Complete)
— GIS connectivity and QC (Complete)
Task 2 — Flow Monitoring (Scheduled for November)
Task 3 —Smoke Testing (Complete)
Task 4 — Report (Preliminary Draft Complete - Pending Flow Monitoring)
All documents associated with the GLF-DR SSES Project are included as supporting information with this letter.
Upon completion of smoke testing, the Town identified a multitude of missing clean out caps in low lying areas
that were contributing I&I to the system. All of the caps have been repaired and a clean out cap education program
is being developed to inform the public of the importance of keeping stormwater out of the sewer system.
Other areas of major I&I entry that were identified are associated with storm drainage inlets. One area showing
114 N. Raiford Street a Selma, NC 27576 a P: [phone] a F: [phone] a www.selma-nc.com

signs of extreme I&I was determined to be eligible for potential CDBG-I funding. An application was developed
and submitted on September 30, 2019. If funded, the CDBG-I project would rehabilitate / replace approximately
6,505LF of sewer and rehabilitate / replace 33 manholes. (Application documents provided shared Dropbox).
Additionally, an amendment to the GLF-DR application was submitted on October 18, 2019 requesting $824,370
to rehabilitate / replace 3,990LF of gravity sewer in five (5) different locations associated with storm drainage
failures attributed to Hurricane Florence. The Town of Selma is hopeful this funding will be made available and
repair to this portion of the sewer system could begin within a few short months. (Application documents
provided shared Dropbox).
To support the modification of the GLF-DR grant, the Town of Selma has begun to CCTV gravity sewer mains that
are likely candidates of extreme I&I based on age, material, and smoke testing results. Some of the video captures
are included with the letter. (Application documents provided shared Dropbox).
The Town of Selma is taking all necessary steps to reduce the I&I issues that have occurred since Hurricane
Florence. The Town of Selma is experiencing approximately $720K of additional annual sewer treatment costs as
a result of the sudden increase of I&I. This increase in operational expense further complicates the ability to
resolve issues.
The lack of resources has been a driving force to identify funding opportunities to resolve very costly repairs. In
addition, the Town of Selma has limited personnel and capability to complete repairs.
Lastly, the Town of Selma recently replaced their Interim Town Manager and Interim Public Works Director with
permanent replacements. With the addition of permanent staff in key leadership positions, the Town of Selma
can now set a long-term vision on how to address the I&I issues for the next decade.
The Mayor and Town Council are committed to resolve the sewer issues. The Mayor, Town Council, and staff are
actively engaged together to identify immediate reductions in I&] and to develop a sustainable path forward for
the large capital projects that will be required for years to come.
The Town of Selma welcomes the opportunity to discuss any of our current and future plans to reduce I&I in
greater detail with all stakeholders. We are hopeful that this response to the NOV letter demonstrates the Town
of Selma's commitment to resolving these issues and prevent a future SSO.
Sincerely,
MCA"6t�e=enHicks,
Attachments:
Shared Dropbox
htt s: www.dro box.com sh w2l8uwbox8i400w AADmI KiMEPOZFDK6kP KiFaa?dl=0
cc: JP McCann
114 N. Raiford Street • Selma, NC 27576 • P. [phone] • F: [phone] • www.selma-nc.com