Oakdale Water Main Project

The Oakdale water main project began the week of April 21. Water main construction is expected to be completed by early June, with service line replacement being completed by early July.

The presentation from the April 23 resident information meeting is available at the following link: Information Meeting Presentation

Water Main Location and Installation. The new water main will be located underneath the sidewalk on the east side of the street. It will be installed by directional drilling, which will not require an open cut excavation for the entire street, but will require a series of excavations along the sidewalk where gate valves and fire hydrants are located. The larger excavations for the directional drilling will generally be located at street intersections along Oakdale.

On-Street Parking and Driveway Access. No on-street parking will be allowed on the east side of the street between 7am and 5pm. The contractor will need room to work on the east side of the street. 

During some periods of the water main installation process the contractor will need to lay assembled sections of new water main on the ground across driveways. This will cause temporary loss of driveway access for residents on the east side of the street. These blockages should only last for a few hours, and you will receive advance notice from the contractor. This will only be a periodic inconvenience.

Lead Service Line Replacement. All lead service lines will be replaced as part of this project. The service line is the pipe that runs from the water main to your water meter and supplies water to your house. There are two parts of the service line: 1) the publicly owned portion between the water main and the stop box, which is located along the sidewalk, and 2) the privately owned portion between the stop box and the water meter inside of the house.

All properties will have a new public service line installed from the water main to the curb stop box that is next to the sidewalk. If any portion of the private service line between the stop box and the water meter inside of the house contains lead, we will replace the private service line as well. All new service lines will be 1” diameter copper line. If your existing private service line is copper, it will not need to be replaced.

The process to replace the service line requires our contractor gaining access to your basement. Our contractor will work to ensure that your basement and yard are not disturbed to the greatest extent possible, and in most cases the only exterior excavation needed is a roughly 5-foot by 5-foot area at the stop box by the sidewalk. If your basement is finished and walls or millwork must be removed to access the service line, you will have to arrange for repair or replacement of that on your own.

Restoration. All concrete and lawn areas disturbed during the project will be replaced. Lawn areas will be replaced with topsoil and seed. Homeowners can elect to have sod replacement at a cost of $395, which is the cost difference between seed and sod restoration. Contact City Hall at 248-541-2901 if you would like to elect for sod replacement.