Major water-pipe repair project underway in Charlottetown's Parkdale neighbourhood

A major water-pipe improvement project is underway in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Charlottetown and it differs fromconstruction projects of the past.

Temporary pipes have been set up alongthe road various hose lines can be seen streetside as well.

"This is a temporary water feed to the homes and buildings to the area," said chair of the Water and Sewer utility, Mike Duffy.

He said thetemporary pipes will be used to supply water as crews work on underground pipes in the area, which according to Duffy,has had more problems than other parts of the city.

"The underground pipes have been historically cracking and leaking," he said.

New method being used

The project is part of a major $4.5 millionsewer and water upgrade, with the city and province each contributing 25 per cent of the cost, and the federal government giving the other 50 per cent.

It's usingno-dig technology where pipes are not replaced but instead lined witha resin to repair any cracks in the pipe and createasecondarypipe within the old one.

The technology was used on sewer pipes this past winter, but this is the first time it is being used on water pipes.

Thisis a partof plans the city has to reline 2,700 metres of water pipeline this summer.

"It's a preventive maintenance program, to coat the inside of the underground pipes with resin," said Duffy.

He expects it to extend the life of the pipes by 50 years.

"Our hope is to drastically reduce our repair costs, our maintenance costs," he said.

Pipes put in after Second World War

Duffy said a lot of pipes installed in thepost-war periodhad problems due to a shortage of skilled labour, and usedtechniques and products which were not ideal.

"It just wasn't up to par, and now municipalities are paying for it," said Duffy, adding municipalities across Canada and the U.S.have been dealing with problems ever since.

Duffy said techniques and materials have improved a lot since that time and the new technology will alsobe more convenient for traffic flow.

"No more constantly digging up pipes, and paving the road tonight and on the weekend finding another water leak or ruptured pipe," he said.

The work in the Parkdaleneighbourhood is expected to be completedby midto late fall.

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