City council is being asked to approve commencement of the construction work to replace a defective section of the crosstown watermain.

The project, included in this year’s capital budget, is estimated at $3 million.

Gareth Earl, the city’s associate manager of engineering, explained to council at its meeting Monday the crosstown watermain is a 600-millimetre diameter pipe running from the Selkirk aquifer to the Two Mile Hill booster station.

“This line was installed in the early 1990s, and is a critical piece of the city’s infrastructure for the distribution of drinking water,” Earl told council.

“In the spring of 2022, a leak occurred in a section of the line along Two Mile Hill, and as part of the repair work, it was discovered that the condition of the line was very poor, with excessive corrosion and pitting that needs premature replacement to reduce risk of additional breaks.”

The request for council’s approval is scheduled to go back for a vote at next Monday’s meeting, though there were no objections raised on Monday night.

The crosstown watermain project involves the replacement of a portion of the corroded watermain pipe, installation of a water connection to the 350-mm diameter main to improve circulation, and additional condition assessment to inform potential further watermain replacement within this area, he said.

In conjunction with the pipe replacement, Earl said, the city will conduct additional investigation and condition assessment work to inform if additional work is required.

The results of the assessment will determine that if additional pipe replacement needs to be done, whether it needs to be done this year, or whether it could be rescheduled to a future date, he said.

Earl said since the pipe replacement work is largely outside the roadway, it’s expected the project will have minimal impact on traffic on Two Mile Hill.

There will be a disruption to the bike lane running along the cliff-side of Two Mile Hill, but the bike lane on the other side will remain accessible, he explained.

The administrative report prepared for council notes the request for tenders is scheduled to be issued in April, with the contract award in May.

The work is expected to start in July, with completion expected in September, says the report.

Under city policy, council’s approval is required for procurements with an estimated value of $500,000 or more, or for procurements less than $500,000 that are deemed to be of significant risk or significant community interest.