Seattle Public Utilities met with residents at the Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday, August 2, to discuss the Ballard Water System Rehabilitation Project, which will repair the area's deteriorating water pipes. In attendance were 28 community members with questions ranging from service stoppages to noise and dust problems related to the work.

Hydroscope work last year in Ballard, in which cameras were run down pipes to see their condition, revealed the hundred-year-old pipes had deteriorated significantly. Rather than replace the pipes entirely, the city has contracted to have them refurbished with a lining of concrete.

"This is pretty innovative for us," said Paul Kimani, senior civil engineer with Seattle Public Utilities and project manager for the project, which is scheduled to start Aug. 15.

Andy Vena, the J. Fletcher Creamer & Son project manager for the Ballard rehabilitation project, did not equivocate about neighborhood inconvenience during the work.

"There will be noise," Vena admitted. "The single loudest thing will be when it comes time to line." Vena added that dust would not be much of an issue.

The work may also disrupt parking and driveway access as well. The contractors will need at least 50 feet of curb space on both sides of the holes dug to access the water lines.

"Once we start, whether we're cleaning or lining, I can't just close the hole up and let you into your driveway," said Vena. He added that hey would make sure residents know about work in front of their homes in advance. All holes will be covered with steel plates for safety after work is stopped for the day.

Susan Harper, a community relations manager for Public Utilities, assured there would be notice when the project is coming to an area.

"We're going to do our best to notify you two weeks in advance to coming to your neighborhood," she said.

There should be no stoppages in water service while crews are working on the underground pipes. Contractors will run temporary lines above ground. The only pause in service will come when the lines are switched, which should only last about five to ten minutes.

"Unless you're in the shower you won't know the difference," said Vena.

Metering details have yet to be fully worked out. Metering was of particular concern for Ballard resident David Madsen. After last year's hydroscope in front of his home on 61st Street he received a water bill for $400 instead of his usual $50 or so.

"I could have left my tub full for two months and I never could have used that much water," said Madsen. He said it took him two months to get the bill straightened out with the city.

Contractor and project details

The New Jersey-based company contracted for the project, J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, have 19 years experience with pipe lining. They have done lining projects for a number of cities across the country. Their average lining project runs between 30,000 and 50,000 feet. The total length of pipe they are contracted to line in Ballard is just less than 20,000 feet.

The work to be done in Ballard is seen as a pilot project. According to John Shimada, Seattle Public Utilities asset management strategic advisor, Ballard was chosen for a number of reasons.

"We chose this area because of some water quality issues," said Shimada. He added, "Ballard has a lot of residential streets there, and it's pretty flat. It seemed like a good candidate to start a pilot off."

The water in Ballard has low chlorine residuals, which means that water mains has to be flushed as often as twice monthly to maintain water quality.

The work in Ballard is an opportunity for Public Utilities to get the process smoothed out enough to consider contracting larger lining projects for the rest of Seattle.

The city of Seattle has about 700 miles of unlined cast-iron pipes that were laid before the 1930s, none of which have the interior coat of concrete that became the industry standard after that time.

According to Shimada, it has not yet been decided if the city will proceed to have all Seattle's pipes lined.

The initial estimated cost of the project here is $1.3 million and is to be paid out of the general water fund, which comes from residents who pay water bills. This figure is roughly half what it would cost to replace the pipes, and includes installing all new water valves and fire hydrants.

Lining the water pipes is also less invasive for the community than would be replacing the pipes.

"And the nice thing about this project," said Harper, " is that we're not going to be excavating all those pipes. There won't be, you know, big trenches along your street."

Project specifics

The project encompasses a number of streets, including 17th Avenue to 24th Avenue through 64th to 60th Streets, 17th Avenue from 54th to 64th, and 8th Avenue to 14th Avenue through 58th to 61st Streets.

The first phase of the project will run along 64th and 60th Streets, as well as 24th Avenue. The work will run from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The project is estimated to take between two and four months to complete.

Vena emphasized that nobody from his company has any reason to enter a resident's home. All water meters in Ballard are outside homes.

"Nobody from our company should have to get into your house," he said. "We might knock on your door to ask you to move your car...but other than that no one has to go into your house."

After cleaning the pipe, the slurry of tuberculation will be dumped in the landfill. It is not, however, an environmental danger.

"The stuff that comes out is inert," said Vena. "It's nothing that can hurt you, because you've been drinking it."