As the city of Moose Jaw moves into Phase 3 of the program to replace old cast iron water mains, the first of two information sessions was held at City Hall Wednesday night.

Residents from areas that will be impacted by Phase 3 of the program were invited to hear information presented by Mike Binns of Associated Engineering from Regina, the company working with the city on the planning and roll out of the water main replacement program.

Josh Mickelborough, Director of Engineering for the City of Moose Jaw, says information nights are an important part of the process.

“This is a major infrastructure project, and while we are doing it it will cause significant disruption to the people that are impacted. We just want to share information with them about what options they have available for service connections and how we are going to manage access and service to their homes while we are doing the work”.

He also says some common themes have emerged from nights like this.

"They (homeowners) want to know how it’s going to impact their property. How services are going to be delivered, how they’re going to get to their house, and how the water is going to get to them while the mains are being replaced. We try to answer those questions and work with them to minimize the inconvenience”.

And while the work is being done on their streets the city is hoping home owners will take advantage of the timing to do work on their private properties as well.

“One of the things that we really want to address with the homeowners is lead service connections. Health Canada has guidelines, and we strongly recommend the homeowner take the opportunity while the contractor is there, to get a favourable rate to replace that lead service line, and then if they so choose, they can finance it through the city as well”

The city would also like to see homeowners address the issue of “no corrode” pipes. These are old pipes with a high failure rate. There is currently a subsidy available for owners who would like to proceed with that work.

Another information night for residents who live in areas impacted by Phase 3 work is coming up in early April 3rd from 7-9 in the second floor council chambers at city hall.

The map below outlines areas that will see work done during Phase 3 this year.