Weekly newsletter: January 23, 2024

Hi everyone!

I can’t believe we’re nearing the end of January already. In previous years, January always felt 300 days long while the rest of the year is just 65 days… but not this year, so far, at least not for me.

Woodroffe water main repair

Residents who commute via Woodroffe Avenue (and eagle-eyed transit riders) may have noticed a work crew set up in the southbound shoulder south of Slack Road.

Most noticeably, southbound motorists may have been adjusting themselves to the new slalom around the work area. Those crews have just started an eight-week project to conduct repairs to the water main in that location.

That water main underneath Woodroffe through the Greenbelt is a major piece of water supply infrastructure for Barrhaven.

For a long time, the 1.5-metre-wide pipe was also the only major water supply for Barrhaven, but over the last decade, a new connection under the Rideau River was added to provide backup and to eliminate the single point of failure under Woodroffe.

Some residents may remember the havoc in the community after the pipe failed late in 2007. A metres-high geyser in the middle of the Woodroffe/West Hunt Club intersection, crews wading in knee-deep water, and significantly reduced water pressure and supply to Barrhaven, Riverside South, and Manotick which resulted in residents being asked to forego non-essential water uses and some businesses having to close or adjust their operations.

That level of disruption is something I hope never repeats.

At almost 50 years old, the pipe is expected to last another decade and a half or so before its replacement.

Presently, the pipe is equipped with wire sensors which monitor movement and the structural integrity of the pipe. It was those wire sensors which alerted staff about the location, who then used predictive measures and modelling to determine a repair was needed there, confirmed by on-site inspections.

This is good news. It’s always better to be proactive than reactive in most scenarios, but especially with a critical service like water supply.

The first step in the repair process was to shut down the section of the water main requiring repair. The shut down produces a minimal reduction in water pressure, up to three psi (pounds per square inch) lower during peak usage periods.

Homes and businesses are typically supplied with anywhere between 45 and 80 psi, so the effects of that minimal reduction may vary slightly from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. For example, a reduction from 50 to 47 psi is much more noticeable than a reduction from 80 to 77 psi.

For metric purists, one psi is approximately 6.895 kPa.

Staff timed to the repair to happen in the winter for a simple reason — water demand is lower! The demands driven by people watering their lawns, washing their cars, and using it as a source of cooling means water demand in the summer is much higher than in the winter.

The repair is expected to last eight weeks until March 15, 2024, after which the pipe will re-enter service and water pressure should return to normal in the community. Built in to those eight weeks is some contingency time in case crews uncover minor issues on abutting sections of pipe.

Any major changes will be communicated as far ahead of time as possible.

Snowbank removal

Since last Wednesday, snowbank removal has been ongoing 24/7 across Barrhaven, including here in Barrhaven East.

Where snowbank removal happens is based on their encroachment into the travel lanes of the street. Collector streets (eg. Paul Métivier, Mountshannon, Cresthaven) are usually scheduled before inner residential streets to address sightline issues and allow the larger vehicles used in those operations safe passage.

Longfields, Chapman Mills, and Crestway were the first streets in the community to be scheduled as their medians meant vehicles had no additional space once the lanes got narrower.

Now that those are complete, staff are moving on to scheduling the rest of the collector streets in the community and a few residential streets.

More snowbank removal is scheduled across the ward and community over the rest of the winter, with pauses in operations during major snowfalls and Tuesdays (garbage day).

Daytime operations in some locations may coincide with pick-up and drop-off times at different schools across the community. Be aware of moving heavy machinery and please ensure you don’t interfere with the operation.

Thanks for reading!

-Wilson