Thousands of feet of aging water distribution pipeline will be replaced this summer as part of a construction project the Calaveras County Water District (CCWD) is launching in Rancho Calaveras.

All construction work is being performed in-house by CCWD construction and distribution crews. The first phase of the project is on Harper Street, where crews have started working to install new sections of pipeline. To allow for the new sections of pipeline to be brought online, there will be a planned water outage from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday May 15 that will impact about eight customers on Harper Street.

In the months to come, crews will be working on Hautly Lane, Jenny Lind Vista, Ormes Court, Sparrowk Road and Watts Drive. Customers will be kept informed of the construction schedule through the www.ccwd.org and social media (www.facebook.com/calaveraswaterdistrict), and notices will be placed at properties to be impacted by water outages.

Construction will cause minor traffic delays near the active work area, and customers may experience short water service disruptions when the new pipelines are being connected to the system. The portions of paved roadways impacted by construction will be returned to a condition as good or better than prior to the project.

Most of the water distribution pipelines in Rancho Calaveras are more than 50 years old and have degraded over the years while reaching the end of their useful lifespan. As the pipelines age, the risk of breaks and system leaks increases. Instead of repeatedly repairing the same sections of pipeline, the CCWD Board of Directors dedicated a portion of Capital Renovation and Replacement funds to prioritize the replacement of larger sections of pipeline that have frequent and costly maintenance demands.

“This pipeline replacement project will greatly minimize future water service disruptions in the area,” said Teresa Tanaka, CCWD director of operations. “Customers will also notice an increase in flow to their neighborhoods once the new pipes are installed, because we are replacing 2-inch pipes with 4-inch pipes. By upsizing the pipe, the District will be meeting industrywide trends and CCWD’s current construction standards to ensure better service reliability.”

For more information about this project, call CCWD Customer Service at (209) 754-3543 or email customerservice@ccwd.org.