Southridge homes to get reliable water

Raymon Dhillon, an engineering technologist with the City’s Utilities Department, says this method will help residents avoid major disruption.

“It will be a lot less interruption. So we won’t have to dig up all the road. We won’t have to block driveways, pull people out of water for long durations,” Dhillon said. “So it’s going to be a lot easier approach, and it’ll be a lot easier for the residents.”

Dhillon says the current pipe has reached the end of its useful life.

“This pipe is basically at the end of its life. We’ve suffered about six breaks recently that we’ve known of,” he said. “So what this will do is kind of make the pipe a brand new pipe that will stand for a lot longer, and we won’t have to put a lot of people out of water to do any repairs or anything in the future.”

Crews started setting up above-ground equipment at the end of June. Digging began on July 6, and the relining is set to start on July 13. The City hopes to finish before the school year starts.

To keep water running during the work, about 30 homes are now connected to a temporary above-ground bypass. A long black pipe runs along Southridge Avenue, delivering water directly to these homes. “You can see here there’s a black pipe that’s running above the ground. This is an above-ground water bypass system we’re installing,” Dhillon said. “This is just going to keep all the houses in water for the whole construction duration, so we won’t have many interruptions to the properties.”

Other nearby homes might notice changes in water pressure or sediment during July. The City says the water is safe to drink and suggests running the tap until it clears if it looks discoloured.

Dhillon says anyone still having problems should get in touch.

“If there are any more problems that come up, please feel free to reach out to me, or the City of Prince George will be happy to help right away,” he said.

Traffic will be affected too. Only one lane of Southridge Avenue between St. Lawrence Avenue and Dakelh Ti will stay open, and it will be for northbound local traffic only. The St. Anne intersection at Southridge Avenue will be closed for the duration of the project.

The City is asking drivers who do not live on Southridge Avenue to use a different route to help reduce congestion in the work area.

by Dave Branco

Southridge homes to get reliable water

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