PUC to begin flushing in northeast area next week

NEWS RELEASE

PUC

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SAULT STE. MARIE – PUC wishes to advise the public of the following activities for the week of June 13, 2016.

This notice is organized into five sections; Electrical Line Clearing (Tree Trimming), Water Infrastructure Renewal, Water Operations Activities, Unidirectional Flushing Program, and the LED Streetlight Conversion Project.

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 or removed as needed by our line-clearing contractor Asplundh Canada 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 period of June 13 - 17, street tree trimming will occur in the area general bounded by Goulias Avenue to Allen Side Road and Second Line West to Wallace Terrace (including Bayview area).

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 underway. The PUC will be working with city staff to keep affected customers informed on the following renewal projects:

• Gore Street (Queen St W to Wellington St)
• Coulson Ave
• Manor Road
• Francis Street
• Second Ave (Wallace Terr. to Connaught Ave)
• John Street (City Aqueduct Project)

Water operations activities

Operational activities for the week are: 

Annual Hydrant Testing

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.

Installation of Temporary Water Supplies

The installation and commissioning of temporary water supplies for the street reconstruction projects listed below are underway:

• Coulson Ave
• Manor Road
• Gore Street
• Francis Street
• Second Ave
• John Street

400 block of Trunk Road

A developer is installing a commercial water service. During this process, PUC will oversee the testing and commissioning of this new service.

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 anytime there is a significant shift 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 advised that the Unidirectional Flushing (UDF) Program for 2016 is under way in the north 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.

UDF flushing for the week of June 13 - 17 will occur in the area generally bounded by Great Northern Road to Pine Street, and Marwayne Avenue to McNabb Street (map).

LED streetlight conversion project

The conversion of Sault Ste. Marie’s 9,050 High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlights to the more efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures is underway.

Customers looking for more information on the project, or for project status updates, are encouraged to visit the PUC’s website.

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.

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