Trending
NILES -- Residents on Difford Drive will endure sediment-spiked water and swamped lawns at least until the spring.
The dead-end waterline started causing problems for residents about a year ago, said Joe Lewis, 1326 Difford Drive.
His neighborhood isn't the only problem area in a city that has experienced a record number of water line breaks. Problems have sprung up for residents all over the city, including neighborhoods on Summerberry Lane, Carnegie Avenue, Nebraska Avenue and Morningside Drive.
The water department has tried a few avenues to mitigate the resulting yellow-to-orange water for its customers -- but because the water department is operating with a deficit, the city couldn't afford a large scale solution.
On Difford Drive, Lewis said his water started looking discolored last December and by March, the first of three line breaks occurred. By Memorial Day, his water was orange, Lewis said.
He was told to run his garden hose at all times and the department took off his meter and started charging him the minimal use rate, around $10, Lewis said.
After a few months, Lewis said he wanted a better solution and asked the city to install a fire hydrant.
After about six weeks, they did, Lewis said.
Because the waterline dead ends on Difford Drive and Lewis' home is the second to last house, water doesn't get the kind of circulation it should, said Andy Catanzarite, water department supervisor. So when Lewis turns on the tap, the stagnant sediments come along with it.
Installing a fire hydrant in the line that runs continuously keeps the water moving, Catanzarite said.
But as soon as the hydrant is turned off, Lewis said he and his neighbors have discolored water again. And even when the hydrant is running -- pretty much 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- Lewis said the water filters in his home turn yellow.
"Would you drink that?" Lewis said.
The water gushing from the hydrant is led away from Lewis' home, about 30 feet into the woods where it empties into a ditch.
But vents on the hydrant allow water to seep up into the ground surrounding it -- soaking Lewis' yard, the sidewalk and the road. The city treated the surfaces for the ice that is sure to plague the wet concrete, Lewis said.
The water-logged lawn is impossible to mow or to rake, he said.
Safety Service Director Jim DePasquale said a permanent solution is on the way.
The city was approved for a $280,000 grant to loop the lines on Difford Drive, Carnegie Avenue and Nebraska Avenue. The water department will be on the hook for 25 percent of the cost, and the funds won't be available for several months, but it will be well worth it, DePasquale said.
Once the lines are looped and are no longer at dead ends, the circulation problems should end, DePasquale said.
The city also got a $300,000 grant with a 25 percent match to replace the line on Summerberry Lane. The work there could start after Christmas.