ssmpuc

Supplied by the Sault PUC… SAULT STE. MARIE, ON (11 September 2015) – PUC wishes to advise the public of the following activities for the week of September 14th, 2015. This notice is organized into four sections; Electrical Line Clearing (Tree Trimming), Water Infrastructure Renewal, Water Operations Activities and Unidirectional Flushing Program. ELECTRICAL LINE CLEARING PROGRAM (TREE TRIMMING) Each year, PUC Forestry Technicians inspect Sault Ste. Marie’s electrical distribution system. During this process, trees near power lines are trimmed and/or removed as needed by our line-clearing contractor Wilderness Environmental Services to reduce the risk of contact with high voltage electrical wires. The purpose of this work is to ensure public safety while at the same time improving the reliability of our city’s electrical system by reducing the number of unplanned power interruptions. Completing this inspection and trimming program for the entire city takes approximately three years. For the week of September 14th – 18th, street tree trimming will resume on Red Rock Road and Lakeshore Drive. Customers are reminded that if they have a dead tree or notice one near overhead electrical lines to please contact PUC Customer Care at 705-759-6522. WATER INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL This year’s Water Infrastructure Renewal Projects (Street Reconstruction) are now underway. The PUC will be working with city staff to keep affected customers informed on the following renewal projects:   ” Upton Road (from Queen St E to Wellington St)  ” McMeeken Street (from Churchill Blvd to Elizabeth St) ” John Street (from Queen St W to Albert St) ” Huron Street (from Albert St to Cathcart St)

WATER OPERATIONS ACTIVITIES Operational activities for the week are:  ” Annual Hydrant Testing o Testing has commenced for the city’s approximately 2500 fire hydrants. This work is necessary to ensure all hydrants are functioning properly. Testing will occur across the city throughout the summer. There will be no hydrant testing on weekends and holidays. ” 969 Queen Street East – New Condominium o  A developer is installing a commercial water service for a new condo development. During this process, PUC will oversee the testing and commissioning of this new service. ” 125 Huron – Bridge Plaza o Commissioning work for the bridge plaza’s new watermain is ongoing  ” 699 Trunk Road – New Tim Hortons o Water service will be connected next week (subject to test results) ” John Street o The construction work for the decommissioning of the watermain on John Street between Queen Street West and Albert Street West is ongoing. ” Huron Street o Installation of a new main is progressing north on Huron Street starting from Queen Street West to Albert Street West. o Commissioning activity for the new watermain from Albert Street West to Cathcart Street is ongoing. ”  Upton Road o The installation and commissioning of a new watermain on Upton Road from Victoria Street to Queen Street East and Kensington Avenue is complete.  o Installation of a new main is progressing north on Upton Road from Victoria Street to Wellington Street East. ” McMeeken Street o Installation of a new watermain on McMeeken Street is progressing east from Elizabeth Street to Churchill Boulevard. There is a chance customers in the areas impacted by Infrastructure Renewal or Operational Activities may experience a change in water quality. This is because any time there is a major change in the rate or direction of flow of water in the distribution system, sediment in the watermains can be disturbed and carried along with the water. Customers are asked to contact PUC Customer Care should they experience discoloured water or any unusual change in water quality.  UNIDIRECTIONAL FLUSHING PROGRAM PUC water customers are reminded that the Unidirectional Flushing (UDF) Program for 2015 is ongoing in the east end of the city. Customers are encouraged to visit the PUC website at www.ssmpuc.com for regular updates and to see a map(s) of the flushing area. The UDF Program is performed in order to remove sediment from within the city’s watermains and is a recognized industry best practice for improving water quality.

There is no UDF activity planned for the week of September 14th – 18th.

The PUC would like to remind all customers that work scheduled for next week is tentative and subject to change due to weather or resource constraints.