Linn County seeks designs to replace faulty pipes in courthouse and jail

CEDAR RAPIDS - Linn County Supervisors are one step closer to replacing faulty pipes in the county's jail and courthouse.

Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors agreed to a $38,400 contract with West Plains Engineering for full designs to replace some of the piping in the two county buildings.

Supervisor Jim Houser said the design process could take a few months. But once they're completed, the hope is to open the project to bids so work can get underway sooner than later.

But in the meantime, Houser said county staff are handling the pipes with extra care, and water pressure and temperature have been reduced in the system, Houser said.

'We can't guarantee we're not going to have another incident of the pipes coming apart,” Houser said.

In January, joints separated in several locations. As a result, a mixture of water and non-toxic antifreeze dumped into courtrooms, judges' chambers and the rear portion of the jail.

More than 500 gallons of the mixture spilled into county facilities, and both buildings lost heat for several hours during the incident.

The leaks caused close to $130,000 for pipe repairs, cleanup, staff time and furniture replacement in both county buildings, according to county staff.

County staff have said the pipe replacement project likely will exceed the $130,000 threshold that requires the county to bid out the project. A cost estimate will be completed before bidding, and the two buildings could be bid as separate projects.

The pipes in question were installed during the rebuilding process after the 2008 flood inundated both buildings.

A February investigation found that Fiberglas pipe joints failed, which could be attributed to many factors, including inadequate surface preparation on the pipes, improper quantity or inadequate curing of the adhesive or improper insertion where the pipes meet the joints.

Houser said he hopes to take another look at the faulty joints once the existing pipes are removed.

'Hopefully when we get in there to change the system out, we can collect some joints and get an independent testing lab to tell us why they came apart,” he said.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com