City Overhauls 22nd Street's Water and Sewer Systems
In this edition:
City Overhauls 22nd Street's Water and Sewer Systems
Community Potlock and Open Mic Night
City Overhauls 22nd Street's Water and Sewer Systems
By Rolando Rosa
The Philadelphia Water Department has embarked on a two-part initiative to overhaul the water and sewer systems along S. 22nd St., stretching from Locust St. to Walnut St.
The project will both replace the existing stormwater and wastewater pipes, as well as install new fresh water pipes.
“This main had a number of failures in the past,” explained Amy Hopf, the Community Outreach Specialist & Construction Liaison for PWD. “So they just decided to replace both the water main and the sewer main.”
The bid awarded for this project was just over $2.1 million, PWD Public Information Officer Brian Rademaekers confirmed. Carusone Construction, one of the regular contractors used by PWD, won the bid. The company has numerous active projects throughout the city.
Timeline
Construction began on Nov. 7, 2023 and is slated to end in February 2024.
PWD projects are broken into five phases: planning, design, pre-construction, construction, and complete.
The project is currently in its construction phase, taking place Monday-Friday in the mornings and afternoons. According to PWD spokesperson Hopf, any requirements for nighttime or weekend work will be communicated to residents in advance.
On December 15, PWD reported that 75% of the water main installation was complete, with completion anticipated by mid-January. After that, the sewer main work will begin, and is expected to last five weeks. The project will conclude with re-paving of the affected area.
Impact to Residents and Businesses
So far, the key impact has been the daytime road closures.
The Color Room, on 22nd and Walnut, mentioned some noise disturbance, but no other major issues related to the construction.
Badey, Sloan & DiGenova P.C, a law firm with an office on 22nd and Locust, said their staff have seen some parking issues.
“It just makes parking harder,” one staff member noted. “A lot of times there are work trucks parked where our spots are. You have to keep driving around, which makes you late for work.”
“We try to keep disturbances to a minimum but if anyone has any questions or if they have any concerns about the impacts they can definitely reach out to me,” Hopf, the PWD Community Outreach Specialist, said.
PWD sent mailers to residents in the summer and fall, prior to the project starting, to inform the community about the project.
Hopf said that their crews try to minimize the impact on the surrounding community. “If the trash ever needs to be relocated for the trash trucks, our team will do that,” Hopf said. “Everyone can put their trash out as planned.”
PWD also checked with SEPTA to ensure no detours would be required.
Free Lead Service Line Replacement
Hopf also highlighted PWD’s free lead service line replacement program. The program offers to “replace any lead service line from the City’s water main all the way to the customer’s meter when we are replacing the water main on your block,” according to PWD’s website.
Any residents whose “house connects to the new water main that’s being replaced and they believe that they have lead in their service line, we will replace that service line for free,” Hopf said. “I like to let people know that in case they have any suspicions of lead in their service line.”
The service can be initiated by filling out an authorization form and sending it to PWDLSL@phila.gov or Hopf at amy.hopf@phila.gov.
“As we’re replacing the water main, if we discover any customer owned pipes that have lead that connects to the water main, we’ll contact that customer and let them know about the program to replace the pipe,” Rademaekers added.
Community Potlock and Open Mic Night
Multiple Fitler Square organizations are working together to bring you the first of several community potluck dinners. The dinner, which will also feature an open mic, will take place on January 21 at Trinity@22nd, located at 2212 Spruce Street.
For more info or to register for an open mic slot, email bffphilly@gmail.com.
This quote is rather telling of some of the mentality around here that needs to evolve: “A lot of times there are work trucks parked where our spots are. You have to keep driving around, which makes you late for work.”
First, the term "our spots". I was unaware that people had "spots" they could claim as their own. Very strange. Secondly there doesn't seem to be even a hint that there might be other ways to get to work than driving. Sigh.