Houghton Will Send the City’s Vactor Truck Out for Repairs

Houghton will need to send the city’s vactor truck out for repairs. The city regularly uses the vital piece of equipment for cleaning and pumping the sewer system as well as for hydro extraction. Houghton has received a bid for the repairs, which will complete a full rebuild of the truck’s vacuum system, for around 106,000 dollars. The city does set aside money within the department budget specifically for repairs to equipment. Because Houghton’s sewer system has limited moving parts the main tool that would likely require any maintenance is the vactor truck. That portion of the budget has close to 160,000 dollars available for repairs. City Manager Eric Waara says the repair should give the city another 7 to 10 years of life to vacuum the system. Additionally, if an emergency were to occur while the truck was away for repairs Houghton does know of a vehicle that the city could rent if needed.