By Kevin Brown, General Manager
Virgin Valley Water District
As reported back in December 2016, the Virgin Valley Water District is moving forward with several projects that will impact residents and visitors in the Mesquite/Bunkerville area. The Airport Tank rehabilitation project was completed in March 2017. Projects currently ongoing are the Virgin River transmission line and Riverside Road pipe replacement. Projects that are in various stages of design and will begin construction in the next six months include: Well 27A replacement, Well 1A replacement, Flat Top Mesa Tank replacement, Summit Court Pipe replacement, Marilyn Parkway Pipe replacement, , Upper Mesa Pipe replacement, Aztec Circle Pipe replacement, Bella Horizon Transmission Line, Because each of these projects will have some impact on residents (temporary noise, traffic, decreased water pressure), we ask for your patience as each of these projects are necessary critical infrastructure improvements.
Summit Court pipe replacement will begin in June 2017 and asphalt for Summit Court completely replaced by mid-August 2017. Residents can expect construction noise and some traffic disruption during construction.
The Riverside Road pipe replacement project will replace the main water line that runs from the Bunkerville Bridge up to Mesquite Blvd. The District is working with the City of Mesquite on a joint project. After the District replaces its pipes, the City will install all new roadway on Riverside Road. Residents can expect traffic disruptions/detours and short local water outages as services will be connected to the new waterline. Work on the water portion of the project should be completed by mid-June. Repaving of Riverside road should be complete by early August 2017.
The Virgin River transmission line will cross the Virgin River near the Bunkerville Bridge. This project should be wrapped up by the end of August 2017. We don’t expect any significant impacts to residents.
Well 27A replacement. Near the intersection of Pioneer Blvd. and Oasis Blvd., drilling has been completed for a replacement water well. Bidding will begin in July for a new fence around the site, new wellhouse building, landscaping, and other site improvements. Construction should begin in August and be complete in January 2018. Potential impacts to local residents will be normal noise attributed to normal building construction and a pump rig lowering the new pump into the well.
The Well 1A Arsenic treatment plant project is next to the Bunkerville Town Cemetery (north side). We plan to build a new fence/wall around the well site, add new site piping that will connect the treatment plant up with the existing pipeline under Riverside Road (near the intersection of Riverside Road and Virgin Street), install a pump down the well hole, and construct a building at the well site to house the arsenic treatment plant. Residents can expect noise from construction work as we install the pump and construct the building. There will be traffic delays as the pipe is connected across Riverside Road. Work on this project is expected to start in October 2017 and be completed by March 2018.
The Flat Top Mesa Tank, the silver domed tank near Flat Top Mesa will be completely removed and a taller (not silver domed) welded steel tank will replace it. Construction is slated to start in November 2017 and be complete by March 2018. Residents should not realize any construction related issues with this project.
Marilyn Parkway, Upper Mesa, and Aztec Circle Pipe replacement project will begin in November 2017 and be complete February 2018. Residents can expect some traffic slowdowns, possible detours, and construction related noise during construction.
Bella Horizon transmission line has been bid out. Construction should start in July and be complete in September 2017. Residents can expect some minor traffic problems and some construction noise.
We will do our best to keep the public informed about the progress of these projects that are necessary updates or repairs to our water system infrastructure. Most of them are made possible by the new rates approved by the VVWD Board of Directors in April 2015 and will ensure that the District will continue to provide our ratepayers with the best service possible.
If you have questions about any of the projects, please call the District at 702-346-5731.
I am very troubled at the complete lack of concern for the welfare of the residents and businesses in this area. This project was originally supposed to take “100 days” according to the MLN article announcing it. I was told by the City Engineer that it would be completed in June. Now the completion date has been moved to August?
The contractors have blocked 2 of the 3 entrances to the center my businesses is located in on numerous occasions. Never have they shown even the courtesy of letting the business owners know that our customers would have restricted access, nor have they even let us know how long these restrictions would be in place, so we could make plans to mitigate the nearly complete lack of access for our customers.
I have personally witnessed two accidents that have happened directly in front of my business due to the confusing and poorly laid out road restrictions. I’m sure there must be many, many more.
And the worst part is that for the past few months, there has been almost no construction actually happening. It seems that the actual construction is only happening a few days each week, and then it is usually a very limited number of workers.
I hope there is a penalty clause in this contract for the delays and that the city actually enforces it. The complete and total lack of concern for the residents and businesses affected by this project by the VVWD, the City and the contractor is appalling.