A $2.4 million Ramona water pipe replacement project is frustrating residents whose tap water is too hot

    Depending on who you ask, a $ 2.4 million pipeline replacement project on multiple streets of Ramona is either a minor inconvenience or a major problem caused by temporary surface pipes that run the household water on one heat uncomfortable level.
    The Ramona Urban Water District is overseeing the replacement of cast iron pipelines that began in January on the following streets: Ninth Street between Main and G Streets; Fifth Street between Main and G Streets; B Street between eighth and ninth streets; and E Street between Fifth and Eighth Streets.

    Craig Schmollinger, the district’s interim managing director and also chief financial officer, said the contract was awarded to Escondido-based LB Civil Construction, Inc. in October 2020 by the water district’s board of directors. Some of the replaced pipes date from the 1920s. he said.

    A water systems infrastructure plan in 2017 identified aging and undersized water pipes that need to be replaced, and the plan was updated in April 2019, according to a staff report.

    However, several local residents have complained to the water supply company that over-hot water ran out of their household faucets during the course of the project.

    Tyler Perfect, a resident of E Street, said the asphalt in his neighborhood was dug up in May to expose the water pipes. Then on June 14th, temporary metal pipes covered with asphalt grinders were laid on the road surface. Exposure to the pipes from the hot summer sun caused the water inside to heat up, Perfect said.

    At 4 p.m. on July 2, the temperature of the water from the cold tap was 105.1 degrees, said Perfect. Overall, he said he has had hot water every now and then for the past two weeks.

    “The water is too hot to water the lawn, do laundry or take a shower,” says Perfect. “It’s too hot for pretty much everything we would need water for during the day.”

    The hot water also disrupted the family’s routine, he said. Perfect said they need to bathe their 8-month-old son before 8am or 8:30 am in the early morning before the water gets hot. Otherwise, they pour a bucket of ice into his baby bath to cool the water before bathing him, he said.

    Schmollinger admitted that the district had received some “hot water” calls in the past few weeks. He said the district had passed residents’ concerns on to contractor LB Civil Construction, who began flushing the makeshift plumbing regularly to lower water temperatures.

    Flushing the pipes helps keep the water temperature below 90 degrees all day, Schmollinger said. The normal water temperature throughout the distribution system is around 80 degrees in the summer months, he added.

    Perfect said the water temperature drops when the lines are flushed, but that’s usually a temporary fix. About 20 minutes later, the water heats up again, he said.

    In addition, he can only request a dishwashing service until 4 p.m.

    Schmollinger said the contractor also agreed to cover large sections of the makeshift pipes to block out the sun on June 14, the day after the water district became aware of the problem.

    Perfect said that some of its neighbors have the same problem. He was told that the water could be cooler if he and his neighbors used more water, but said he didn’t want to waste water as he would be billed for it.

    He wondered why the work couldn’t be done in such a way that the makeshift pipes weren’t exposed to the sun for so long.

    “I don’t know if working in freezing weather would be a problem in winter, but in summer the heat is more of a problem in our area,” said Perfect.

    Schmollinger said the water district staff worked with the contractor to modify the future makeshift plumbing as part of this project to “help eliminate the hot water problem.”

    Some of these measures include routinely flushing the lines and covering the pipes or partially insulating them so that ambient temperatures don’t directly touch the pipes and heat them up in the summer, he said.

    The projects along the four street sections are expected to last around eight weeks in the residential neighborhoods, he said. Caltrans has pending approval for work at the Main Street / Highway intersection at Fifth and Ninth Streets.

    The current pipeline replacement project is expected to take another eight weeks, according to the Ramona municipal water district.

    The current pipeline replacement project is expected to take another eight weeks, according to the Ramona municipal water district.

    (Julie Gallant)

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