Hamilton makes major $860,000 sewer repair

HAMILTON — The City of Hamilton is prepared to spend approximately $860,000 on a major sewer renovation project following a unanimous vote from the city council on Monday, March 20.
According to Hamilton Water and Sewer Department Manager Rodney Williams, a lift pump located behind Bevill State Community College is in a state of major deterioration and affects many major locations on Hamilton’s Military Street.
“This lift station is right behind Bevill State Community College. It’s our biggest lift station that we have on our sewer system,” said Williams.
“It handles the sewer from the hospital, the prison, the nursing home, McDonalds — all of that comes across the highway and serves Bevill, the Franklin Apartments — all of that comes right off that station.”
Williams stated the lift station is over 24 years old and is in need of much repair and renovation.
“It’s got a lot of issues going on. The reason the price of the  (renovation) is so expensive is because that station is so deep,” said Williams.
“It’s right there in the Buttahatchee River. It’s about 40 feet deep, and the problem we have right now is that the pipes inside of the station are deteriorating.
“They are deteriorating from the inside out. There’s no way of fixing the pipes without just tearing them out,” Williams continued.
Williams stated the project will update the way sewage is lifted while also making repairs.
“Right now, we have vacuum lift pumps. We want to go away from that. When we rehab this station, we want to move to a suction lift pump. They don’t have to be primed for the system to work,” said Williams.
“That’s part of the problem (with the current station). Those pipes are deteriorating from the inside out, and it’s causing leaks and the vacuum pumps can’t pump the sewage out.”
Councilman Wade Williams asked Rodney how the sewer system would be able to operate during the renovation period for the lift station.
Rodney stated the lift station would be bypassed during renovation, which was included in the $860,000 price.
Rodney stated while the City of Hamilton has not received a bid on the project, the $860,000 price tag comes from a preliminary cost assesment.
Mayor Bob Page emphasized the importance of the lift station and its need for renovation.
“It’s a major station that moves everything from the main sewer right into the treatment station,” said Page. “If we didn’t have that (station), we’d be in real trouble. It would run out at the (Buttahatchee) river, and that would be a big deal. We don’t ever want that to happen.”