Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron

WHEELING — The city of Wheeling will explore a new method for valve replacements on water main lines that promises to be much less disruptive to service for municipal water customers.

This month, the city approved a $138,550 contract with James White Construction Co. of Weirton for a valve insertion project in the Fulton area. An ordinance authorizing the purchase was introduced during the most recent meeting of city council and was originally scheduled for a final vote next week, but Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron requested that the legislation be passed on an emergency basis so the work could get underway as soon as possible.

Herron said two valves need to be replaced on water mains in the Fulton neighborhood — one at a location on National Road and another at a site along Eoff Street.

“This is a new process that we’re using to live-tap where the pipe — which is a large pipe with 16-inch lines — is exposed,” Herron explained. “The valve itself is placed on that line while it is still activated and then welded on or connected to the line. Then there is an actual live drill into the water main while it is still in service.”

According to Herron, if all goes well with this innovative bypass-type method of valve replacement, future projects that need to be done on the city water system in the future could be much less disruptive than traditional methods of shutting off water service while needed repairs are made.

“It will be the first time we’ve done that,” Herron said. “We’re recommending that it be done because if we don’t, it’s going to require at least 10 valves to be shut off. They are large valves on 16-inch lines. It would cause a reverse water flow, which would create dirty water conditions from Fulton all the way out to the hospital (WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital), and it could disrupt service.”

Members of Wheeling City Council heard two readings on the ordinance and approved it so crews could get the work done in Fulton before winter weather sets in.

“We’re excited about this possibility,” Herron said of the new valve replacement method. “It’s the first time this has been done in Wheeling, and hopefully if it works well, we’ll do others to minimize the inconvenience and disruption to our water customers.”

The city also recently approved other pieces of legislation on an emergency basis related to the Wheeling Water Department.

A $39,675 contract with Kalkreuth Roofing & Sheet Metal of Wheeling was approved for a new roof on the chemical building at the Wheeling Water Treatment Plant. This is another outdoor project eyed for completion while suitable weather allows.

Council also approved an ordinance to authorize the expenditure of $27,780 for services associated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s required notification letters to Wheeling water utility customers regarding lead service pipes. The city is working with contractor 120Water on this project, which will involve sending EPA directed letters to all of the water and sewer customers on Wheeling’s system.

Herron said there are about 13,000 customers on the municipal water system.

Nationally, the U.S. EPA is requiring all water utility systems throughout the country to provide certain information to users regarding lead service lines.

“We did ask for responses from our customers as to whether or not they felt they had lead service into their house, which would be from the meter into their house,” Herron explained. “We only received about a 20% response rate, so we are required now to formally send a letter to each customer asking that they go out and determine whether or not they feel that they have lead service, in which case they have a protocol of guidelines to replace that service.”

While lead services lines into customers’ properties are a concern, the city manager indicated it is believed that most of those who utilize Wheeling’s water system do not have lead pipes.

“We anticipate that the vast majority of our customers do not have lead services and that they have copper services,” he said. “But they could have lead, galvanized or copper. So those letters will be going out. We are required to have those letters to our customers by Nov. 26.”

Council members agreed to expedite the readings of the ordinance to hire the contractor in order to have the required EPA notices sent out before the deadline.

Funds for all of these projects approved through emergency ordinances this month are being paid through the city’s Water Department fund.