Hamilton Public Works Assistant Director Dan Arthur said he met with one of the property owners Wednesday about the project. He said the construction drawings are complete and have given a set to a current contractor “to see if there is an option to fast-track this project as a change order.”
They are also planning to submit a request to the Ohio Public Works Commission to see if there is any 2022 emergency funding remaining to use for the project.
“This project is our number one priority for our water distribution system due to the number of breaks that this area is experiencing on the High-Density Polyethylene water mains,” Arthur said.
In September, city staff was granted permission by City Council to seek three OPWC loans for various water main projects, one of which was to replace water main pipes on Tari Court, Tari Lane, Wildwood Court, and Rost Hill Drive. These pipes were installed in the 1990s, but there have been multiple pipe failures in recent months.
The reason for the frequent breaks, Arthur said, is that the chlorine dioxide used in the water treatment process for disinfection seems to react with the polyethylene pipe and makes it brittle.
“We are actively taking samples of the main area when we have a break to determine the reason it is happening in this area more frequently,” he said.
The total construction for the entire neighborhood should take two to four months for the water main, but Arthur said they would start on Tari Court “as soon as we get the green light.”
There’s not a firm number for the project yet, but it’s estimated to cost $700,000 to $800,000.
