2006-85 AMENDING CITY CODE - CHAPTER 75 - WATER SERVICES AND CONNECTIONS

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DEPARTMENT OF WATER MANAGEMENT Memorandum No. 2006-16 �i August 29, 2006 TO: Honorable Mayor Osborne and City Council FROM: Steve Garman, City Manager John A. Smith, Assistant City Manager for Public Services Keith D. Alexander, Director of Water Management '� SUBJECT: Amendment to City Code Chapter 75 - Water Services and Connections , SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION: Council adopt the attached Resolution amending City Code Chapter 75 Section 5. BACKGROUND: Currently Section 5 only allows the installation of copper pipe for water service lines of 2 inches in diameter or less. These small lines are mainl for residential buildin s. Due to the soarin Y g g price of copper, it now costs at least twice as much to purchase copper pipe than it did a few short months ago. Staff have received numerous requests since that time from plumbing contractors and homeowners to substitute polyethylene pipe for copper pipe. Polyethylene pipe has been used for several years by large numbers of communities across the country and have found it to be safe, reliable and long lasting. The City uses the Illinois Plumbing Code and American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards for water related construction guidelines and regulations. Both the Code and AWWA standards recognize polyethylene pipe as an equal substitute for copper pipe. Therefore, in order to reduce the cost that our water customers must bear to install or replace residential water service lines, staff recommend that Council allow polyethylene pipe to be used as an alternative to copper pipe. POTENTIAL OBJECTION: None foreseen. INPUT FROM OTHER SOURCES: Several local plumbing contractors and homeowners. STAFF REFERENCE: Mark O'Connor, Water Distribution Maintenance Supervisor, telephone 875-5705, email mj oconnor@dec aturnet.org Keith Alexander, Director of Water Management, telephone 424-2863 e-mail kdalexander@decaturnet.org BUDGET/TIME IMPLICATIONS: None.