March 27, 2008

Leaky pipes: Crews try to keep up with aging water system

By Jennifer Larsen

News editor

City crews tackled water leaks at three services on Sixth Avenue Monday, part of an ongoing effort to address a mass of old water lines throughout Ritzville.

Although the recent surge of water line work appears to have resulted from winter weather damage, Pubic Works Superintendent Larry Swift said work resumed as soon as the weather permitted, noting that two service lines on Division Street and one on Main Avenue have already been replaced.

None of the lines froze up this winter, Swift added, but he did say that the deluge of snow has caused a juggling act in the maintenance department. Not only are crews working to repair streets and water lines, they are trying to complete routine maintenance/servicing on equipment.

The leaks on Sixth Avenue are one of the locations identified in a leak detection survey completed by American Leak Detection of Spokane, Wash., in October 2007, as was the leak at the American Legion Hall.

Crews fixed the lines at the Legion after a ‘lake’ was found in the building’s basement. Swift said that the water was turned off for repairs but the water didn’t stop running. It took about two weeks for the water to stop, he said.

In the cover letter of the survey, Senior Field Engineer Joe Godwin wrote, “A total of over 118 places in the district system were tested, including gate valves, hydrant valves, services, etc.

“The survey found approximately 28 areas where possible leak noise was detected. Of the 13 leaks found, (five) were mains, (three) services, (three) hydrants and (two) were service leaks…”

Included in the Survey Field Notes:

• Tested area around American Legion Hall due to water entering basement. Detected service line leak at post office across street to last and uphill of basement.

• Detected leak on or near service to 516 West Main Avenue. Leak couldn’t be correlated on Main Avenue due to existence of some PVC. Recommend no excavation because the leak isn’t large enough yet.

• Detected high level of noise on or near check valve at well No. 5.

• Incorrect valve cover on box for gate valve at Second/Palouse; needs non-ears cover.

• Detected leak on or near gate valve on 10-inch AC line on Alder near intersection with Birch. Leak can also be heard at fire hydrant nearby but not any distance away or with ground mic. This may be valve-related leak.

• Detected leak on fire hydrant – probably seat leak at Sixth and Division.

• Detected leak noise on meters on Second Avenue between Columbia and Division. Leak can be heard but is too small to be located yet.

• Detected fire hydrant leak – probably seat leak. Located on southeast corner of Tenth and Columbia.

Specific information on the Locate Detail Sheets included:

• Detected leak on six-inch cast iron line running east-west on Broadway just west of Division adjacent to the building about 110 feet west of gate valve at Division.

• Detected leak at valve cluster next to hydrant on Low Street.

• Correlated leak on six-inch main on Broadway about 106 feet east of gate valve on Broadway at Jackson (grass island).

• Detected leak on 10-inch line close to hydrant valve at Adams and Third on southeast corner.

Swift explained that the overall goal in the water line system is to delete old lines while maintaining a looped system.

Last summer, what started as a simple meter change resulted in replacing a main line on Main Avenue and affecting 14 resident services.

According to Swift, when crews went to change the meter, they noticed that the service line was pitted. They dug out to the main line and found it was pitted.

They continued to dig to find a good area to cut the line, but couldn’t find a spot. So they tied into the valve at Lincoln Street to 615 West Main and installed a six-inch line – replacing the four-inch line – and a new fire hydrant.

“It just expanded from a meter to a big project,” Swift said.

He noted that the service line at the railroad depot is also rusting, which is sending debris through the pipes and clogging the sprinklers.

He’s guessing that service lines on the main line on Division from Broadway were all installed at the same time, noting ‘a whole bunch of service lines replaced recently.’

“We’re not going to wait for a leak on those,” Swift said. “We’re planning to just replace those lines when we have time.”

Swift is also making changes in the paperwork associated with the waterworks. Instead of only reading the pump meter once per month and averaging the usage, a reading is taken every day on all running wells.

This is one step in trying to address changes mandated by the state. Because the pumping of the well didn’t match the residential usage, the city must develop a comprehensive plan to reduce the discrepancy from 15 percent to 10 percent.

The city’s 2007 water comprehensive plan will meet these requirements for five years. “We will try to address all (the state) has in here as concerns,” Swift said.

The comprehensive plan identifies what needs replaced and a deadline based on work already completed and past problem areas, such as fire hydrants.

“Hydrants tell us a lot. If you have a hydrant that’s not putting out, you know the line isn’t big enough,” Swift said.

He explained that 90-95 percent of the fire hydrants meet the required water amount, but crews have changed hydrants as time and finances allow.

Part of the comprehensive plan includes requiring the city to develop a water conservancy plan for the residents. Swift said a water efficiency use plan was implemented last year.

The city received an extension from the state at the beginning of March to work on the comprehensive plan, and Swift plans to enlist help from Evergreen Rural Water.

He’s also researching utilizing Evergreen Rural Water to do a more in-depth leak detection test. ERW is a free technical service available to rural municipalities.

Top priority is to finish the lines that are leaking, followed by addressing issues listed in the comprehensive plan and “see what priorities we’ve committed to,” Swift said.

When the weather warms up, city crews will ‘pot hole’ Wellsandt Avenue to look at the water lines in preparation of construction next year.

In connection with the water lines, city crews had four or five water meters quit working during the winter, but didn’t know it until the meters were read recently. They were replaced with radio read meters.

Swift said that every month, some meters stop working or aren’t working properly. In preparation for this, he recently ordered 15 more radio read meters.

When looking at the entire waterworks system, Swift points out that well No. 8 continues to cause headaches for the city. When the motor was rebuilt last year, it apparently fixed whatever was causing it to turn off by itself, which is why the Koch well supplemented the city’s water supply through the summer.

When the water pressure was low last year, it was because well No. 8 wasn’t able to keep up and the Koch well was trying to hold the water level steady until No. 8 kicked in.

But despite the rebuild, the motor has made a noise since. City crews pulled the motor earlier this month for the company that did the rebuild to check it out and try to find the noise.

That means the Koch well is supplementing the city’s water supply as it did last summer.