YORKTON - One major project will require most of the 2024 water main replacement budget.
The City’s 2024 water main replacement program is scheduled to replace 370 meters of 150 mm (6 inch) Asbestos Cement (AC) or also referred to as transite pipe on McBurney Drive from McNeil Crescent to Matheson Crescent, explained Aron Hershmiller – Director of Public Works with the city at the regular meeting of Council Monday.
“Since its original installation in 1976, this section of water main has experienced seven breaks,” he said. “Many of which were classified as service leaks and stress cracks indicating pipe integrity is compromised.”
Transite pipe was widely-used in many underground systems from the 1950’s to the 1980’s and has an estimated life expectancy of 65 years or longer.
“We are seeing our 60’s and 70’s era infrastructure failing at a staggering rate, but in reality it is reaching its expected end of life,” said Hershmiller.
“The objective of the City’s water main replacement programs is to reduce service disruption risks to residents and businesses, thus improving the health of the distribution system, while reducing operating repair costs.”
The most important factor used to quantify the condition and occurrences of failing underground pipe networks is water main break frequency. Water main break frequency can vary year to year and even seasonally.
“Break rates tell a compelling story which can aid in asset management decision making as it relates to defining pipe criticality and costs of repairing our underground water pipes,” said Hershmiller.
“The City of Yorkton currently uses water main break frequency as the most heavily weighted factor to determine which water mains are scheduled for replacement. Pipes with the highest number of breaks per 500 meter sections are prioritized. If two water mains have the same break frequency the larger diameter and/or larger user group takes precedence.
“With the amount of water breaks identified, the condition of the water pipe, plus the condition and need to replace service connections, hydrants, reline the sewer line plus the need to replace curbing, sidewalk and repave the road surface, this area proved the top of our list for full reconstruction replacement. This year’s project also intends to install new water and sewer service connections from the main to property lines.”
The tender for McBurney Drive accepted by Council Monday was $1,996,432.33 (plus taxes) from G. Ungar Construction Ltd.. The overall project cost will be $2,715,147.
Sources of Funding:
* 2024 Water Main - $881,013.00
* 2024 Sanitary Sewer Replacement - $332,778.00
* Water General reserves - $451,356.97
* 2024 Streets Overlay and Trench Repair Program - $800,000.00
* 2024 Curb & Sidewalk Maintenance - $250,000.00
The funding sources would fully exhaust the 2024 water / sewer replacement budgets, plus deplete a large portion of the curb, sidewalk, street and lane maintenance budgets for 2024, but still leave some operational funding for other maintenance projects, noted the report to Council.
Completion date deadline for the contract is Sept. 30, 2024.
On a broader topic Hershmiller told Council, “The cost for replacement continues to rise.”
With approximately 155,000 lineal meters of water pipe within our network and at an approximate replacement cost of $2,500/ meter, this equates to a total replacement value of approximately $390 million in today’s dollars.
To be clear that’s not including sewer or storm pipe and then when we add on the curbing, sidewalks and road surfaces this value becomes staggering, said Hershmiller.
The water main (undergrounds portion) of the replacement budget for 2024 totals $1,213,791 which is made up of $881,013.00 in water replacement and $332,778.00 in the sewer replacement budget.
“We must continue to significantly increase this figure, as we currently have over 39,000 meters of water pipe over 50 years old that will need to be replaced in the foreseeable future. This year’s budget will allow us to replace 370 meters of infrastructure. If we only look at the 39,000 meters over 50 years old and divide that by 370m, this would suggest that we would be able to replace that infrastructure within the next 105 years at today’s pricing,” detailed the report to Council.
