By Andrew de Souza

City to replace problem pipe on 15th Street

Jun 9, 2011 | 6:30 AM

The city has decided that after multiple failures of a water main on 15th Street West, the best option is to completely remove a two-block section and replace it.

Last week, workers replaced a fire hydrant on Fourth Avenue West that had been damaged in a winter car accident.

The cast iron main had been installed in 1900 to feed the corrections facility west of the city.

Cast iron pipes have almost no flexibility and over time, the iron in cast iron leaches out into surrounding soil reducing its integrity.

When the pipe was re-pressurized, it fractured. As workers tried to fix the pipe, it continued to break.

Raiders AGM

Raiders impact on Prince Albert local economy continues to go up: AGM report

11h ago

Court proceedings

'The impact of this trauma will echo for generations': court case surrounding La Ronge woman's death reaches conclusion

Dec 11, 2024

Going Global

P.A.'s Zablocki named to Team Canada for U18 Women's World Championships

Dec 11, 2024

After five cracks, city manager Robert Cotterill said it was time to stop wasting time trying to fix it and instead replace it.

“We’ve dug it five times in the last week and a half and we know that the pipe has probably gone past its economic life and we need to replace it,” he said.

The city is planning to replace about 300 meters of the pipe between Second and Fourth Avenue West. In order to save the trees, the construction will have to go further out into the road meaning continued closures and disruption of service for the 29 homes affected along the streets.

“What it comes down to is that we can’t put pressure on that pipe without it continually failing,” said Cotterill.

“We don’t have a choice.”

Cotterill said there has been criticism that the city should have plans to replace pipes after a certain age. But he said that wouldn’t make economic sense.

“If the water’s still flowing within the pipe and we haven’t had leaks why would you replace it,” he said.

“We can’t afford to rip it out and replace it. The cast iron pipe that’s been there had an economic lifespan of 50 years and has gone on to over 100 so the payback has been good.”

The pipe will be replaced with PVC pipe which is the city standard, but has an unknown life span since it is relatively new product, but is warrantied for 50 years.

Cotterill said he hopes the pipe can be replaced in a few weeks. He said the city would turn services for homes as the pipe is installed.

Approximately 40 per cent of the city has old cast iron pipes, including the downtown core where pipes were installed in 1901.

adesouza@panow.com