Crews have torn up the road in front of D.W. Poppy Secondary School in order to locate leaks in the new East Langley Water Supply pipeline.
“This leak detection work is labour intensive and requires excavation along the length of the pipe to inspect the joints,” says the latest project update from the Township engineering division to council, filed on Nov. 26.
The leaky section of pipe will also need cleaning and disinfecting before it is commissioned, the report says.
The work on 52 Avenue, between 236 Street and 240 Street, is expected to take about another month.
The rest of the 14 kilometre long pipeline has passed pressure tests.
The update says all work on the line should wrap up next month, with service beginning in February.
“The project is currently on track to fall within the approved budget,” the report says.
Leaks were first uncovered during pressure testing of the line east of 248 Street.
A July memo to council said the pipeline manufacturer “advised of quality control issues necessitating replacement of some sections (of pipe).”
Township planners expect the East Langley Water Supply will bring an end to the severe watering restrictions that east Langley residents and businesses have faced during summer months to avoid depleting the aquifers.
Work on the water pipeline got underway in May 2013.
The $33.5 million pipeline is the biggest project ever undertaken by the Township of Langley’s engineering department.
Problems with terrain, leaky pipes and other unexpected issues have seen the completion date moved back several times from its original date in 2014.