Posted August 29th, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 29, 2023
Contact: Norb Franz, Macomb County Public Works communications manager
586-201-5732 norb.franz@macombgov.org
6,000 tons of sediment to be pulled from major sewer in Macomb County
Bulk of the sandy material is from 2016 sinkhole in Fraser
The construction contractor on a $37 million project to prevent a major sewer from collapsing again has begun removing an extensive amount of sediment that has restricted sewage flow in the pipe.
Workers have thus far painstakingly scooped and removed 1,000 tons of sediment from the Macomb Interceptor Drain, located approximately 60 feet below the surface of 15 Mile Road in Sterling Heights. Another 5,000 tons is still to be taken out from a 7,000-foot-long stretch of the 11-foot diameter pipe that carries the sanitary sewage from almost 600,000 residents from 11 of Macomb County’s communities.
“Six thousand tons of this in our interceptor reduces the amount of capacity that we have for our sewage flow. It has to come out,” Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller said. “It’s a big part of the project – a very important part.”
The presence of sediment was previously noted during inspections of the large pipe and therefore was not a surprise. In some areas, the sediment is 24-36 inches thick. Most of it is attributed to the infiltration of the sand from the sinkhole that occurred on Christmas Eve 2016 following the collapse of the interceptor beneath 15 Mile at Eberlein Drive in Fraser.
Several days each week, sewage is temporarily held back upstream to allow for sufficient space inside the pipe for the construction contractor to drive a bulldozer-like rig – known as a “skid-steer” — with a curved blade inside the pipe and scoop the black, sandy debris from the pipe and into a large bucket. Using a crane, that bucket is then slowly hoisted up through the new pump station that was built in the shaft and then dumped into a large roll-off Dumpster.
As the wet sediment dries out over the next day or two, the color turns lighter, resembling beach sand. The reason for the change in color of the contaminated sediment is unknown but it is hauled to and disposed of at Pine Tree Acres landfill in New Haven. Sediment removal from the MID pipe also has started at the opposite end of the 7,000-foot-long stretch of 11-foot-diameter concrete pipe, near Hayes Road.
Macomb County Commissioner Don VanSyckel, who serves on the Macomb Interceptor Drain Drainage District board, was again impressed by the construction project after getting a close-up look of the sediment removal process.
“I’m just so glad to help serve on the MIDD Drain board and help to push this project along because it’s high time it gets done,” VanSyckel said.
VIDEO: Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller, accompanied by county
Commissioner Don VanSyckel, explains the sediment removal ongoing at the Macomb Interceptor
Drain construction site on 15 Mile Road in Sterling Heights. https://youtu.be/B61LECoHMqA
PHOTOS:
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller and Macomb County
Commissioner Don VanSyckel examine handfuls of sediment removed from the Macomb
Interceptor Drain.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller talks to Macomb County
Commissioner Don VanSyckel at the Macomb Interceptor Drain construction project on 15 Mile
Road, west of Schoenherr Road, in Sterling Heights.
ADDRESS: 21777 Dunham Road, Clinton Township, Michigan 48036 ● Phone: 586-469-5325 ● Fax: 586-469-5933
ENGINEERING ● Phone: 586-469-5910 ● Fax: 586-469-7693 ◊ SOIL EROSION ● Phone: 586-469-5327 ● Fax 586-307-8264
