Water Rehabilitation Frequently Asked Questions

Why is water rehab done? Water rehab is done on cast iron lines that were installed before the mid-1950s that are not protected by a cement mortar lining like the pipes are today.

What happens to pipes that are unlined? Pipes that are unlined start developing build up called “tuberculation” on the inside of the pipes. For example, a regular 6-inch pipe can be narrowed down to 4 inches or smaller, depending on how much build up has occurred. When this occurs, it reduces the amount of water that can flow through the pipe, therefore reducing pressure available at peak hours.

How long will I be on temporary water? A customer should not be on temporary water more than 30 days. There are some occasions where customers are on temporary water for over 30 days, but it doesn’t happen often.

How does this affect my water bill? When the contractor hooks you up to the temporary water main, the meter is removed until the rehab is complete. If the meter is not read during the time that your meter is out, you should not be charged for the water used during this time. If the meter is read during the time that your meter is out, you should receive a bill for the average consumption used at your resident or business, whether it be monthly or quarterly.

Listed below are the steps of the Water Rehab Project once an area has been chosen:

  1. The contractor breaks the area out into sections to maintain fire coverage.
  2. They install temporary water lines along the street to serve the houses.
  3. They flush the temporary lines and we take a water sample. We check the chlorine and turbidity and conduct a bacteria sample.
  4. If the bacteria sample passes after 24 hours, the contractor starts hooking the customers up to the temporary water line.
  5. Once the houses are tied over to the temporary water, the contractor starts digging down to access the water main.
  6. After they have accessed the main, they start cleaning the tuberculation off the inside of the pipe.
  7. They squeegee the line to remove any loose debris or water that is sitting in the line.
  8. We run a camera through the line to verify that the pipe is clean, the debris has been removed, and we have no standing water.
  9. We are now ready to spray the epoxy coating on the inside of the pipe.
  10. After the epoxy lining has cured for 24 hours, we are ready to camera the line again. This is done to make sure that the pipe was coated properly and there are no skips in the lining.
  11. Once the lining is approved, the contractor is now ready to start putting the pipe back together.
  12. We replace all valves and hydrant assemblies unless it has been done recently. 
  13. When the pipe is back together with new valves and hydrants, we are now ready to flush the rehabbed water main and take more samples as mentioned is Step 3.
  14. When the bacteria sample passes, the contractor starts hooking the customers back to the regular water main and cleans up the area in which he is working.
  15. We are ready to move to the next phase or section and start the process all over again.