Residents living in Bethel’s City Subdivision can expect interruptions to their water service in the coming weeks as the city begins construction on a new project to expand piped water to a nearby area of town.
The project is called the “Institutional Corridor” and has been in the city’s plans for years. A new water line will make a loop, beginning at the City Subdivision Water Treatment Plant, and circling the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation Hospital, the Kupusvik Building, and the YKHC Administrative Building. The Institutional Corridor will deliver piped water to these buildings and others surrounding the area.
Water interruptions will occur Friday, August 31 in City Subdivision from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Another night of interruptions will occur the following week on Thursday, September 6. Three more nights of interruptions will happen the subsequent week on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, September 10, 12, and 13. All interruptions will occur between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
The new water line will reverse the direction of water flow through some pipes in City Subdivision. As a result, houses on Quinhagak Street, Napakiak Street, and Kwethluk Street will need their circulation pumps reconfigured before freeze up.
This will require the homeowners’ help. The city will make the changes at no expense to homeowners. However, the city needs permission from owners to enter their properties and reconfigure the pumps. The city has posted notices on all the affected houses and is mailing out letters.
Homeowners who do not respond are likely to face expensive problems in the near future. If the pumps aren’t reconfigured, the city says that they’re likely to burn up, leading to frozen water lines.
