More water main problems in Palmer

PALMER — After a rupture exposed an aging pipe in the heart of Palmer, workers are replacing a water main that runs the length of South Alaska Street.

The pipe is one of the main distribution lines in the city, public works director Carter Cole said. The 10-inch line is outdated and beginning to create serious problems, he said. Most visible was a geyser shooting up from Alaska Street north of Evergreen Avenue three weeks ago, but Cole’s department is using sound devices to monitor leaks throughout the length of the main.

“We have an idea of where the leaks are at,” Cole said. “We’re keeping our eye on them until we have enough water to be able to shut them down.”

There have been plans to systematically replace the water mains throughout much of the city, Cole said, but no repairs were planned for the South Alaska Street main this year. However, once the main line was exposed to fix the rupture at Alaska and Evergreen, one of the city’s major intersections, officials realized how bad the problem was.

“We didn’t think the main was that bad,” Cole said. “But once we did the one, we knew we had to replace it this year.”

The city is now replacing the main with a 12-inch pipe. The problem is fixed north of the Evergreen intersection, and public works is now working on the section near Blueberry Street.

Cole said Alaska Street between Fireweed Avenue and Evergreen will be closed starting Wednesday morning and continuing for about 10 days. Starting Aug. 1, the section between Dahlia Avenue and Arctic Avenue will be closed. Cole said it is hoped to have that open back up by Aug. 28.

As to the funding for the emergency repairs, Cole said the city is paying for about 30 percent of the costs and programs through the state will pay the remaining 70 percent.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@fronti ersman.com or 352-2252.