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Expect construction delays on Service Road west of 99
City replacing sewer line
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Mozingo Construction is interrupting traffic for the replacement of a sewer line on Service Road near Central Valley High School - photo by JEFF BENZIGER/Courier photo

The Service Road sewer line replacement project is now underway and motorists are advised that delays could occur.

Work is being done between Central Avenue to Moffet Road.
Construction of the $1.18 million replacement of the sewer line in Service Road from Central Avenue to Moffet Road, will help with sewer flows.

The contract with Mozingo Construction, Inc., of Oakdale calls for the replacement of an existing 18-inch sewer trunk line with a 42-inch line to relieve "surcharging" in the lateral sewer lines on Collins Road and Moffet Road. Deputy City Manager/City Engineer Toby Wells said sewer pipes are designed to flow at half full and any flow above this capacity could backup sewage up to the level of street manholes and affect toilets and sinks from flushing properly.

Work is also getting underway to upgrade water pipes in the Darrah, Sequoia, Hollister and Memorial Drive area west of Central Avenue. Mozingo also was awarded that contract, this work costing $588,878.

A water master plan calls for the city to abandon the old undersized steel water main lines, connections and wharf fire hydrants located in alleyways.

Wells said the Sequoia Tract has corroding two- and four-inch lines that will be replaced with new six-inch mains in the street. The city will then run new one-inch lines to each property.

"It's a system well past its useful life," commented Wells.

In July the council took action to increase Public Facility Fees paid on all future construction projects. The PFF hike is on the heels of the water and sewer rate increases enacted on all Ceres residents. The increases will help the city pay for needed infrastructure projects to keep both water and sewer systems functioning well into the future. The city increased the water connection fee from $4,986 to $6,697 on each new single-family house. The fee is arrived at by considering that $101.5 million in future growth projects are needed, divided by the expected 15,161 future units.

The city of Ceres adopted water and sewer master plans to correct deficiencies in the city's sewer and water systems which have been stressed, said Wells. They also plan for future growth of Ceres. The plans will be implemented in three phases that include beyond 2022 and the full build-out of the 1997 General Plan.

Over $200 million in capital projects are required to ensure that Ceres can continue to provide enough good, clean water for existing and future customers. Needed improvements include $18 million in additional wells, $99 million in pipelines, $19.5 million in wellhead treatment to remove contaminants, a new two million gallon water tank at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park and two new reservoirs on the west side where new development is expected to take place.

To help pay for those improvements, the City Council approved a series of water and sewer rate increases.