FORT WORTH, Texas — The price tag is huge for the water main repairs on Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth are underway to get that section of the city back to normal.
There are construction zone cones along Lancaster to alert drivers. The repairs will not only cost the city a pretty penny, but it will mean moving some money around to pay for it.
On Aug. 17 a water main break erupted on Lancaster and Collier Street. Since this happened, not far from the Holly Water Treatment Plant, the line pushed a major amount of water onto the streets and flooded at least one nearby business. The break happened to a 30-inch cast-iron pipe installed in the 1930s which has deteriorated over the years.
Unfortunately, five days later, the same water main broke apart near the first break.
During their late September meeting, Fort Worth City Council will vote on a recommendation to move $1.06 million from the water and sewer fund to the capital projects fund to cover the repair and replacement.
The $2 rate increase on the water and sewer bills in Fort Worth will help the city tackle about 800 miles of other water mains that need to be repaired or replaced. The process is timely and starts with engineers identifying and designing the underground work requirements before the city opens the job up for a public bid.
Mary Gugliuzza is the Water Department spokesperson for the City of Fort Worth.
"We are having a rate increase, but it's the first one in four years," Mary Gugliuzza, the City of Fort Worth Water Department Spokesperson said. "The rates do pay for improvements. But just like you have to pay to keep things going at your home, we have to pay to keep things going in our water and wastewater systems."
As crews work to complete the Lancaster Avenue repairs as soon as possible, the water department is working on a plan that calls for replacing and repairing those 800 miles of cast iron pipe, which will take decades.