SC Alaska News

Update April 19, 2022 4:30pm:

The repair has been made to the Shoreline Drive water leak. The water has been turned back on for residents in the area and the hole has been back filled so the road is now passable.

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Update April 19, 2022 9:00am:

HEA and ACS both made it to Seldovia yesterday and performed the necessary locates for the Shoreline Drive water leak.

Shoreline Drive was coned off first thing this morning and the crew is headed out to begin the dig. Residents from the corner of Shoreline Drive and Lake Street to Bloch Street will have their water service temporarily shut off for the day and an update will be provided to those residents concerning the status of their water by close of business.

Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding in this matter. We are excited to get this leak repaired.

For questions or more information about this matter please call the City Office at 907-234-7643.

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Shoreline Drive and Lake Street Water Leak and information concerning current water distribution:

Good Morning Seldovia! We are hearing a lot of concern and reports pertaining to a water leak on the corner of Shoreline Drive and Lake Street. As such, we want to provide an update to the community so that everyone can be informed of the situation.

A possible water leak on the corner of Shoreline Drive and Lake Street was reported to the City on Friday, April 15, 2022. Public Works investigated the report and was able to determine that there was indeed a leak. Both ACS and HEA were contacted on Friday to request locates because there is power and phone in the ground in that area and a dig for repair cannot begin without that service.

City staff received multiple reports of the water leak over the weekend and Operator Cameron was able to assess an increase in significant water loss during daily water operations. Both ACS and HEA have been contacted again first thing this morning in order to notify these agencies of the seriousness of the situation and request that the locates be performed as soon as possible in order for the repair to be made.

City staff will continue to assess the situation and communicate with ACS and HEA, as soon as locates are performed repair work will begin and we will update the community as more information becomes available on the status of this leak.

What is a significant water loss you may ask? The City of Seldovia over the winter distributed an average of 65,000 gallons of water a day to the community, the lowest and steadiest it has ever been in recent history. Water distribution has been so steady that operations has been able to typically assess little spikes in water use as they happen and identify their source.

Over the last month spring has sprung and with that the usual water leaks that typically occur with our aging infrastructure have been noted. Water distribution increased dramatically overnight on March 13, 2022 from 77,000 gallons to 176,000 gallons a day. Over this past weekend this water loss increased, due to the leak on Shoreline, and as of today we are distributing 245,000 gallons of water a day.

Public works has been assessing the water infrastructure for the last month and was able to identify water leaks in several areas that are also awaiting locates in order for repairs to be able to be made, but none more significant than this newest leak discovery on Shoreline Drive and Lake Street.

So... to make a long story short, we are busy (as always) and these leaks are keeping public works even busier in trying to identify and repair. If you haven't seen them out and about listening to water lines and services over the last month (in partnership with ARWA, thank you ARWA!), you probably will in the next couple of weeks.

If you are aware of a water leak, even if it is on your service, please let the City know so that we can make note of that occurrence and save some time in identifying where all this water is going....

To report a water leak please call the Seldovia City Office at 907-234-7643 and look for more updates here in the future as we have them.

Thank you!

Original source can be found here.