On Monday, June 17, C2AE Engineering, based out of Escanaba, MI, will begin aiding Water and Light (W&L) employees in the completion of a residential water service materials inventory that has been ongoing since 2022. The inventory includes visualizing water service lines at the curb stop connection, at the exterior connection where the service enters the home, and the connection to the water meter inside the home.
Residential water service is an underground pipe which connects the public water main with the home. Water services may include various types of materials, such as copper, galvanized iron, plastic, and lead. The Village of Newberry is finishing an inventory of these system materials and C2AE is aiding in the process.
This effort is a State of Michigan mandated project requiring public water supplies to keep an inventory of service line materials in their distribution system. Due to a recent, more-stringent federal requirement, water suppliers must submit the completed inventory by October 16, 2024.
W&L staff and C2AE representatives will be going door to door to gain access to the water service and water meters to determine the pipe materials entering the home. Staff entering the premises will visually assess the water meter, the service line leading from the exterior of the building to the meter and take pictures of those same items.
Close to four hundred households are still in need of inventory. Data collection should not interfere with normal water supply and water quality. Cooperation from residents is appreciated.
The second phase of the project shall begin in late summer. This involves hiring a contractor to “pothole” individual, buried water services using hydro-excavating to view the pipe material outside the home. They will create 1-2 small holes in the yard to expose the water service and record material and condition. The hole will be backfilled and restored to grass.
This project is funded by a grant from the State of Michigan Department of Great Lakes, Environment and Energy (EGLE). Internal and external water service inspections are completed at no cost to the property owner.
