Bisgard receives water environment award

Darrel Bisgard, Fairfield?s public works superintendent, was presented an Iowa Water Environment Golden Manhole Society Award during the July 23 city council meeting.

The award is an acknowledgement of an individual or city for promoting safety, education and professionalism in the design, management, construction, operations and maintenance of collection systems.

Ken Goering, who retired in 2010 as Fairfield wastewater superintendent, recommended Bisgard for the award ?because of his concern for public health, the environment and his ?can-do? attitude that the city needs to be proactive to fix their problems occurring from some sewers dating to the 1880s.?

Bisgard became Fairfield?s public works supervisor in November 2005 taking on the responsibility of cleaning, televising, repairing and replacing the city?s 54 miles of storm and sanitary sewers and associated manholes.

When Bisgard and his crew began walking and marking sewer lines and manholes, they found brick manholes that had crumbled away, with sewage flowing into Crow Creek in high flows and water entering the sanitary sewers. In 2006, Fairfield sewers were overflowing across the walking trails and into the creeks in Jefferson County Park and Fairfield was having overflows from what was thought to be pipe breaks, but were buried brick manholes that had crumbled in and partially blocked the sewer. Crews found a 4-foot diameter cottonwood tree over one manhole.

To help stop the overflows, Bisgard and his crew cut a road over the sewer line and contracted for 690 feet of sewer replacement.

Goering said the end result was a grassed road bed over the sewer line that allows sewer cleaning during dry weather.

Several more ?pipe breaks? were found to be caved in brick manholes. Buried manholes were located, collapsing brick manholes were replaced and sewer maps were updated. Roads were built using earth excavated for the new Jefferson County Health Center to make ramps to manholes on hills so sewers can be cleaned.

The public works department also found and disconnected roof drains, ground inlets and storm sewers from the sanitary sewer to help reduce overflows.

Sanitary sewer overflows have been reduced about 11 percent each year since 2008.

Goering said Bisgard ?has a very strong sense of integrity and lives by the principles of 1) strive to prevent problems through good maintenance; 2) find your problems; and 3) get them fixed.?

Goering also said Bisgard?s cleaning crews are highly skilled and willingly work in adverse weather with Bisgard to protect public health and the environment.

Bisgard has more than 25 years of experience working in collection systems. He began is career in December 1984.

Goering was presented the Golden Manhole Society award in 2010.