City of Saskatoon staff have received many questions on the 8th Street Water and Sewer Project, and we wanted to update you on what has been happening in the neighbourhood with this information page.
-If you have questions, or need more information on the project, please contact Stephen Wood, City of Saskatoon Project Engineer, at 975-3694.
PROJECT UPDATE (September 7, 2010)
-Water and sewer work complete on the 400 block of 8th Street. Concrete and median work underway.
-Connection replacements complete on the 500 block of 8th Street. Watermain replacement to begin this week and scheduled for completion by September 15. Concrete, median and paving work to follow and be completed by the end of September.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROJECT
I live on 8th Street and want to know why you are digging up the street in front of my house?
About 90% of the houses along 8th Street from Lorne Avenue to Lansdowne Avenue have aging lead water pipes. The City and its contractor (Mi-Sask) are replacing and upgrading the water pipes and the sewer pipes at the same time. This replacement work requires:
-an excavation in the street over the watermain and sewermain;
-an excavation at the curb valve – which is usually located just behind the sidewalk (on the property line) or between the sidewalk and the curb;
-an excavation either outside the footing of the house, or inside the basement of the house;
-a hole to be jack-hammered in your basement where the current waterline enters the house. Be assured that the contractor will restore the jack-hammered concrete to floor level; and,
-after all the pipes have been replaced, the road will be resurfaced as part of the Federal Government’s Infrastructure Stimulus Funding program, probably by mid-September.
On the 500 block of 8th Street (Eastlake Avenue to Broadway Avenue), the watermain in the street will also be replaced. This will require a trench down the length of the block, and work on this block will be more extensive and time consuming than on other sections of 8th Street. Houses on this block will be hooked up to temporary water services and will have normal water service throughout the work. More information on preparing for this temporary hook-up will be provided prior to the work being done.
Along the 100 block, part of the 300 block, and the full 400 and 500 blocks of 8th Street, we will also be lining the sanitary sewermain. The lining of sewers is done without excavation and with minimal disruption to homeowners or traffic. We have contracted Capital Sewer Services to do this work and they will give you 24-hours’notice before the work begins. While the work is going on (usually for four to five hours), we ask that you only use your sewer connection minimally (for example: please do not do laundry, run the dishwasher, or take a shower during this time – generally avoid anything with high water usage). This work is scheduled for mid-August and you will be given a notice before the work occurs.
When is all the work going to happen?
The pipe replacement work started on May 4, 2010, and will continue until mid-September, weather permitting. We are working on one block at a time, so it is hard to say exactly when we will reach your block. However, we will be contacting all homeowners approximately two weeks prior to work at your house to make an appointment to come out and look at your basement to see what type of work we will have to do. At that time, we will let you know when we will come back to do the excavation work, and will also explain the payment process. The work should take approximately one day to complete, and during that time, you will not be able to use the water and sewer services.
How do I prepare for this work?
The contractor and a City representative will make arrangements to meet with you approximately two weeks prior to any work being done to look at your basement. As every house is different in terms of layout and the degree that the basement has been finished by the homeowner, each house will be visited individually. During this visit, the contractor will inform you of what you will need to do to prepare for the work, and will give you a timeline of when the work will be done. If the basement has been developed around the water meter or where the waterline enters the house, then you will need to remove obstructions (such as flooring or cabinets) before the work starts. Obstruction removals and restoration are at the cost of the homeowner. However, we will do our best to keep the impact of the work to a minimum. There may also be dust and mud from the work, so you may want to lay down tarps or sheets in your house.
I’m going on holidays soon and won’t be home when you are doing the work—so what will happen?
We are giving two weeks’ notice when we are coming to each block. If you are going to be away, we suggest you have a family member, friend, or neighbour be present during construction day. Please call us at 975-3694 and we can see what arrangements can be made for the work in your block during that time.
How much will the water and sewer pipe replacement work cost me?
The City and the homeowners will be cost sharing the pipe replacement work, as the City owns the section of the pipes from the water/sewer mains to the property line, and the homeowner owns the pipes from the property line into their house.
The homeowner’s portion of the cost is being capped at $2,300. Some homeowners had initially been quoted prices higher than this amount; however, the City and the contractor have made arrangements so your costs will be held to the range quoted in the original letter you received in April.
How do I pay for all this?
There are three payment options you can choose from:
-You can pay the contractor in full once the work is complete;
-You can have the costs deferred to your 2011 property taxes; or,
-If you qualify under the Federal Government’s Low Income Cut-Off designation, the costs can be spread over your property taxes for the next 10 years.
When you meet with the contractor and the City representative, they can give you more details, and provide you with appropriate forms if required.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work in your neighbourhood!