By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Contractors are nearly done replacing about 800 feet of water line and installing pressure regulators in Pelham’s Chandalar subdivision, and the city is preparing to work with homeowners whose yards were affected by the work.

For the past several months, the Municipal Consultants firm has been managing the water line project, which involved replacing about 800 feet of PVC pipe with ductile iron and installing water pressure regulators.

The city moved forward with the project in 2012 after high water pressure in the neighborhood led to several water line breaks over the past few years.

“He’s probably got one or two days of water work left,” Pelham Public Works Director Eddy Jowers said on Feb. 26. “The weather has been playing havoc with this project. This has been one of the wettest winters I can remember.”

Jowers said the ductile iron water lines have already been installed, and said crews were working on Feb. 26 to install the final pressure regulator valve near the intersection of Wilderness Road and Round Hill Road in the Crosscreek subdivision.

After the final pressure regulator is installed, Jowers said he and the Pelham Fire Department will test the lines to ensure the water pressure is high enough to power fire hydrants.

“It’s a real balancing act. We try to regulate the pressure so it cuts down on breaks, but we also want the public to be protected,” Jowers said.

Jowers said crews drilled bores to install the ductile iron sections of the water main instead of digging an “open cut” along the length of the water line. By installing the ductile iron through the bores, Jowers said crews were able to minimize the impact on residents’ properties.

Over the next few weeks, the city will work with the residents affected by the project to “seed and straw” their properties until warmer weather allows for sod installation, Jowers said.

“All of the reports I’ve gotten from the residents, they are happy with the work,” Jowers said, noting the crews have taken steps to minimize mud and runoff from the project. “They’ve worked real well with us.”