Sanitary Sewer Line Replacement Hiatus
Memorial Thicket Project on Hiatus
This morning we were informed that PM Construction will not be able to mobilize and begin CIPP repairs until mid-October at the earliest. CIPP Lines Verification, Material Order and Mobilization:
Video review of all pipe burst lines suitable for CIPP (PM Construction) – week of 9/20
RFI approval for CCTV and CIPP change from pipe burst - week of 9/20
CIPP material order (2-3 weeks processing)
Mobilization of CIPP crew to begin repairs (mid-end October)
Kathleen Shelton, the Chief of Staff for Councilmember Greg Travis, has taken the questions and concerns we have raised with Public Works and IPR back to Public Works for their response as neither Public Works nor IPR had addressed them. She just received a response today; it is wholly inadequate and, for the most part, non-responsive.
Old Stone Trail Lift Station Project
The City of Houston has contracted with Vaca Underground Utilities to replace the sanitary sewer lines downstream from the Old Stone Trail and Trailville Lift Stations. The pictures in the last newsletter showed the damage caused in plowing right over private property and through the hedge row creating ruts and destroying large shrubs in the process. When asked why this was done instead of using the gates through the lift station (where the line will terminate), the City Project Manager said yesterday that access through the lift station was not possible as it could have resulted in damages to the lift station. As can be seen from the picture below, big vehicles do use the lift station as the access point to the field, so I am seeing a disconnect. Kathleen Shelton is setting up a meeting to ensure we are all on the same page going forward.
Harris County Tractor Mowers on the Field (July 2021)
Points of Contact for Memorial Thicket Project With a new communication model in place, we will no longer be interfacing with IPR, the contractor. Our primary contact is now Felicia Wallace with the City of Houston. Feel free to copy Kathleen Shelton as well. Their information is:
Felicia Wallace, Project Manager, City of Houston Public Works
832.395.6172 Felicia.Wallace@houstontx.gov
David Tajadod, City of Houston Public Works
David.Tajadod@houstontx.gov
Kathleen Shelton, Chief of Staff, Councilmember Greg Travis
Kathleen.Shelton@houstontx.gov
The Memorial Thicket Project
The City of Houston has contracted with IPR to rehabilitate the sanitary sewer lines within Memorial Thicket. A "trenchless" rehabilitation method is being used to minimize excavation. There has been a revision to how the project will proceed as now not all lines will involve pipe bursting and then installing new sewer pipe inside the existing sanitary sewer lines. For some lines, the new plan is for "cured in place pipe", which is suppose to be less intrusive. Access points will generally be at the manholes. The system consists primarily of 8" lines and some 10" lines closer to the Old Stone Trail Lift Station. To date, 1,600' of an estimated 8,000' of line has been replaced. We are now past the one month anniversary of the project's start. At a minimum, it will take another 8 weeks to complete when it starts up again. More information can be found in the notices. One is for the sanitary sewers that run in the front yards and the other is for those few streets where they run in the back yards. Click on the buttons below to see the notice.
IPR Work Week
The crew is generally scheduled to work Monday through Thursday on rehabilitation, which consists primarily of preparation and fusing the pipe, rehabbing the main via pipe bursting, doing the service reconnects and MH seals. With "cured in place pipe", the rehabilitation will be somewhat different, but we don't know the extent yet. On Friday, site work restoration is to be completed. The intent is to keep a minimum amount of pipe on site during the project and try to do just- in-time deliveries. During the work week, equipment will be left overnight on the street, but not on the weekend. Over the weekend the trucks will not be in the neighborhood, but excavators and other equipment will remain, but will not block any traffic lanes in Memorial Thicket.
Coming to Your Street!
This project will impact every street in our neighborhood. Most of the manholes are located in our front yards. For a few, the locations are in our backyards. This is not a simple project -- it will be ongoing for months. At this point we don't know the order or time of when different areas will be impacted. Click on the button below to see where the sanitary sewer lines run in our neighborhood. The white circles represent manholes.
Irrigation and Landscaping
Be sure to check your irrigation lines during the project to ensure that no lines/heads are broken. If any have been, contact Felicia Wallace with the City of Houston, whose info is above. IPR's subcontractor is responsible for restoring the site to its original condition after completion of construction activities. This includes any landscaping that was disturbed. I would recommend taking photos of your property (front and back) to document your landscaping so that if any damage occurs, IPR can see what needs to be repaired.
Sanitary Sewer Replacement Survival Guide
In 2015, Toshi Mochizuki put together a PDF with photos and illustrations showing what is underground that helped each of us prepare for the AT&T contractors who were then doing cable installation on and near our property. This was based on his experiences and each property will have a different configuration. It is still pretty relevant for this project. Please click on the button below to access his guide. Thanks, Toshi!
According to a Little Birdie, Today is Officer Alvarado's Birthday!
Juvenile Tri-Colored Heron in Barker Reservoir (A Different Photo of the Heron with the Correct Identification)