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��i <br />Elk River <br />Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING <br />TO: <br />FROM: <br />ERMU Commission <br />Mark Hanson — General Manager <br />MEETING DATE: <br />AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: <br />November 14, 2023 <br />5.01 <br />SUBJECT: <br />Water Service Abandonment Appeal <br />ACTION REQUESTED: <br />Review management policy regarding water service abandonment and provide direction <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Section 114 of our water rules requires that all discontinued or abandoned water services shall <br />be shut off and disconnected at the main. During the open forum of the October commission <br />meeting, Steve Rohlf of Cornerstone Auto and Andrew Harvala of Heritage Construction <br />requested to be released from the requirement to properly abandon the former water service <br />at their property (10965 171s' Avenue NW). Mr. Rohlf and Mr. Harvala stated they were <br />concerned the numerous utility lines at or near the water main made it difficult to safely <br />excavate down to the main without risking damage to the adjacent utilities. They requested <br />approval to pay the estimated abandonment costs to Elk River Municipal Utilities (ERMU) in lieu <br />of doing the work. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />Section 114 of our water rules requires that all discontinued or abandoned water services shall <br />be shut off and disconnected at the main. The intent of the abandonment requirement is to <br />protect the City and the Utility from damage caused by a leak at an abandoned service line. If <br />not capped at the main, abandoned service lines are still "live" with pressurized water that can <br />cause significant damage if a leak develops. Since abandoned lines can be missed during a <br />locate process, they are at great risk of being damaged during future construction activities. <br />Case in point, the abandoned service line in question was hit during the excavation efforts for <br />the Quick Lube construction project. Furthermore, abandoned service lines are at a continually <br />increasing risk of leaking as they age. <br />As for the risks associated with damaging the adjacent utility lines, any risks that exist today will <br />only increase if the line must be capped in an emergency leak situation. Capping the line today <br />allows for a best -case scenario to complete the work in a controlled environment. To estimate <br />the magnitude of the repair, ERMU requested multiple quotes for the work. The quotes ranged <br />from a low of $5,200 to a high of $17,000. <br />ATTACHMENTS: <br />Section 114 of our water rules; Abandoned Water Services <br />Page 1 of 1 <br />53 <br />