Water main replacement on part of East Poplar Avenue and part of Lindsay Street in Carrboro
To help ensure the high reliability of our water service to you and other customers, we are replacing our water line in part of Lindsay Street and part of East Poplar Avenue as shown on the map below.
Our work began in mid-February and may take 6 to 8 weeks to complete begins. However, our timetable is subject to change. The progress of our work may be affected by weather, unexpected underground conditions, and other factors.
What will the work involve? Our crew will dig a trench in the road pavement where shown above; install new water pipes; fill the trenches with compacted soil; and restore the pavement and any other areas affected by our work. After the new pipes pass tests for holding pressure and water quality, our crew will connect the new water line to the OWASA meters along it.
How will our work affect you?
- We will need to temporarily interrupt our water service to customers near the work area at times. For example, we will need to interrupt service for a few hours when it is time to connect the new line to our meter serving your residence or business (if your property is along the new water line).
- When we plan a service interruption, we will notify affected customers 1 to 2 days in advance if possible. We will offer bottled water at no charge in advance of a planned water service interruption.
- If there is an unplanned interruption of service from OWASA or other utilities due to our work, we will work to restore service as soon as possible in coordination with other utilities as needed.
- The work will involve noise, dust and mud.
- It will be necessary to close East Poplar Avenue between Elm Street and Lindsay Street to do some of our work in this area. The road closure, when necessary, will occur only during the work day. Detour signs will be posted, and we will work with the residents within this area to ensure customer access, mail delivery, refuse and recycling service, etc.
- For the other areas of our work, we will keep at least one lane open for access by emergency and service vehicles, residents/businesses/customers, etc., but traffic access will be slowed down.
- Our work will temporarily block access to your driveway if pipes are installed in front of your property.
- No non-OWASA service interruptions (power, phone, gas, etc.) are planned or expected.
- At times during our work on our water system, our water may be temporarily discolored because particles of iron and manganese in our water pipes may get stirred up, or air bubbles may give our water a milky appearance. If this happens, please run cold water in a bathtub for about 5 minutes. If this does not clear up the water, please call us at 537-4292 on weekdays between 7 AM and 3:30 PM, or 968-4421 between 3:30 PM and 7 AM or on a weekend. The discoloration may also appear in ice if you have an ice maker. (You may wish to use any discolored ice to water plants, etc.)
We welcome your questions and comments. Please feel free to contact Mr. Vishnu Gangadharan, P.E., at 537-4248 or vgangadharan@owasa.org whenever you have any questions, concerns, or comments.
Updates: We will send you periodic project updates by paper mail or e-mail if you ask us to do so. Please help us save money, paper and time by sharing your e-mail address with us if you have not already. E-mail is the fastest, most efficient way to get information to you, especially if we have unexpected conditions such as an unplanned interruption of utility services.
If you have tenants in our project area: Please send us their names and the appropriate address, or ask them to contact us, and we will be glad to send them updates on our work.