Deficiencies noted during inspection or obtained from resident inquiries are prioritized and corrected. Prioritization includes verification of City responsibility, assessment of level of threat, cost for maintenance, available budget, and ease of maintenance. Projects that impact life, safety, and welfare of people, property, or the environment are given highest priority. For example, a failing pipe that runs under a road will be prioritized over a pipe that runs through undeveloped grass lands because pipe failures under a roadway can cause sinkholes or the road to cave in. Maintenance projects are often grouped together by location (subdivision) or maintenance activity type (cleaning vs. pouring concrete) for efficiency and cost savings.
On average the City completes maintenance on about 350 structures and 6,000 linear feet of pipe each year. You may see field crews working in your neighborhood or when you drive around town. The City also contracts with companies to augment the work that can be completed by the city crews. These contractors are typically flushing pipes, lining pipes, and rebuilding deteriorated systems. All crews and contractors should be in vehicles that are clearly marked. If you are concerned about work being performed, please contact the Public Works Department at 678-297-6200.
Stormwater pipes can start to fail with age or environmental impacts. If caught soon enough, rehabilitation can be done by lining the pipe so that the lifespan is increased without having to open cut a large trench for repairs or replacement. This trenchless method helps minimize impacts to roadways, sidewalks, or residential properties. The city uses three different lining techniques; cured-in place pipe (CIPP), spin cast, and rigid lining. These pictures show a CIPP installation. A flexible tube is pushed or pulled into a pipe. The liner is inverted with water or air pressure stretching the tube to match the internal pipe shape. Then water, steam, or UV light cures the resin in the tube hardening it to create a new solid surface for water to travel through.
Imagine that storm pipes are like straws carrying water from one point to another. If the straw gets a hole in it, the water will leak before it gets to the end. These techniques allow us to essentially push a new straw inside the old one to cover the hole up rather than removing and replacing the old straw.