WQCS00057_NOI_NOV2021DV0238_Response_20210518

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City of Thomasville
Thomasville, North Carolina 27360
Utilities Department
NC Department of
Lon T. Snider Environmental iQua
uality
Regional Supervisor
WQROS, WSRO, DWQ, NCDEQ MAY 2 O 2021
450 W. Hanes Mill Road, Suite 300 Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, NC 27105
Regional Office 18 May 2021
RE: Intent to Enforce Letter Response
Incidents Numbers 202100337 and 202100356
Dear Mr. Snider,
In response to the letter of Intent to Enforce of 12 May 2021 the City of Thomasville asks that
the following be taken into consideration:
Regarding all four incidents k's 202100337 and 202100356: These events all occurred during a
period in which the flow from the pump station that was the site of these spills was restricted due to
the failure of one of the two force mains that this station uses to discharge. The end result being that
flow out of this station was greatly restricted, resulting in these spills. As the force main was installed
22 feet deep and underneath a bridge and concrete buttress wall by NCDOT in 2002 there was no
feasible means of repairing the line. A contractor was hired and has installed a new line bypassing the
area of deeply buried bad pipe at a cost of $131,240 to the city. This updated section of force main
became usable on the morning of 04 February 2021, shortly after these incidents occurred. There were
no known impacts to public health, fish kills, or recreational area closures as a result of these spills.
Additionally, there are known issues with Inflow and Infiltration in the collection system leading
to this pump station that are in process of being at least partially addressed through the Hanks Branch
Rehabilitation Phase 2. Hanks Branch Rehabilitation Phase 1 lined and sealed the main outfall line
discharging into this station. Hanks Branch Rehabilitation Phase 2 which is designed to reline and
replace multiple lines that discharge into the main outfall to help reduce I&I sources identified by smoke
testing and video inspections has been bid and awarded to J Smith Civil, LLC at a bid price of
$1,591,431.40 and Notice to Proceed was issued May 10, 2021.
The above statements are to share with you that the City of Thomasville is taking steps to
address the issues that led to these spills and to help prevent recurrences of same. The City of
Thomasville has spent and will continue to spend millions of dollars to protect the environment by
identifying and correcting deficiencies in the collection system.
The City of Thomasville asks that the ongoing efforts to upgrade all aspects of the sanitary
sewer collection system be taken into account with any enforcement actions considered.
Sincerely, Morgan Huffman
Public Utilities Director
City of Thomasville
336-475-4220
CC: Michael randt
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