Pictured is an image of a portable mainline inspection crawler (or sewer camera) similar to the one that will be purchased for use by the Town of Appomattox Public Works department. Image: Town of Appomattox Public Works/Contributed

Appomattox Town Council approved funding for a remote-controlled sewer camera to be used for maintenance purposes within the Town of Appomattox. The approval occurred at the April 10 meeting.

The amount of $65,560 for the device was identified in the Fiscal Year 2023 Sewer Capital Improvement Plan.

In an interview with the Times Virginian, Town of Appomattox Director of Public Works Jeff Elder said the purchase will save the town money in the future over the other option of calling in an outside company to inspect sewer lines. According to Elder, the last outside quote he received to cover 200 to 300 feet was a cost of $2.500 to $3,000.

The town’s current smaller device will only cover 15 to 25 feet and is operated by pushing a cable, which tends to kink and bend. The new sewer camera, also known as a portable mainline inspection crawler, will cover up to 600 feet. It will be able to run through pipes from six-to-18-inches in width.

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