Val Vista Water Treatment Plant to shut down for water main rehabilitation

The City of Mesa Utilities Department has announced that the Val Vista Water Treatment Plant will shut down from Nov. 10, 2008 until May 2009 while the City of Phoenix completes a 15-mile water main rehabilitation project.

The project will use the slip line method of rehabilitation, a less intrusive method that will require five portals on Mesa streets. Each portal will require an excavation that will be approximately 50-feet long, 20-feet wide and 20 to 30-feet deep. The work will take place in a fenced in area that will be approximately 5,000-square feet.

The Mesa portal locations are:

• 8th Street and Santa Barbara Street

• Alma School Road and Hackamore Street

• Date Street and Sierra Vista Trailer Park

• Inglewood Street and Grand Street

• Juniper Street between Center Street and Pasadena Street

“In order to better serve our resident’s future needs, we ask our customers for their patience as we begin this project,” said City of Mesa Utilities Water Division Director Bill Haney. “This water rehabilitation project is critical to the ongoing maintenance of our water distribution system and will help us continue to meet our obligations to deliver safe drinking water to our customers.”

The Val Vista Plant serves treated surface water to residents west of the Eastern Canal. During the shutdown, the primary water source will be groundwater from the numerous wells located throughout Mesa, along with Central Arizona Project (CAP) water treated at Mesa’s CAP Water Treatment Plant. During the rehabilitation, water is transferred within the distribution system to meet demand in various parts of the City. This may cause minor pressure problems for some customers.

As a result of the transition, residents may notice changes in the aesthetics of the water because different water sources have varying tastes and odors.  Also, well water can contain entrained air, causing it to look temporarily cloudy or milky.  This typically results from millions of tiny air bubbles present in the distribution system.  Eventually, the bubbles rise to the surface and the water clears.  Residents should know that, despite the changes, Mesa’s water is safe to drink and continues to meet or exceed stringent state and federal water-quality standards.

For more information about the project, please call the project hotline at (602) 235-2896. For more information on water sources or water-quality test results, visit mesaaz.gov/utilities or call (480) 644-4444.