News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Residents of the Tollgate subdivision will have to go for about four days without running water while isolation valves are replaced on the water system that serves the nearly 400 homes in the development west of Sisters.
In a letter sent to homeowners, the Tollgate Property Owners Association said, "This project is being done because approximately 50 years ago, the contractor for Brooks Resources did not install the underground power lines to code as they placed them in conflict with our water lines. Their improper installation has caused a life-threatening hazard for our utility workers."
The project will begin Monday, May 15 at 1 a.m. and is expected run through Thursday, May 18. Water supply is expected to be shut off for approximately four days and the electricity will be shut off sporadically during those working hours.
Residents are advised to turn off the circuit breaker on their house main panel for their water heater.
According to the Tollgate board of directors, a potable water truck will be place in the lot adjacent to the tennis court to serve residents. Tollgate management also recommends that residents draw water for hand-washing, drinking, cooking, toilets, etc.
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Roger Johnson explained how the district will handle fire protection during the shutoff:
"We make a temporary change in the fire apparatus assigned to a fire with the 911 center," he told The Nugget. "We will dispatch multiple water tenders to any fire during the shutdown."
Some residents expressed concern about the potential presence of asbestos in the pipes, due to their vintage. Asbestos was - and in some instances still is - used as an insulating element. It can pose dangers to health if inhaled.
The Tollgate board acknowledged this concern:
"Some of the pipes contain asbestos," the board told The Nugget. "Tollgate is working with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Deschutes County Department of Solid Waste."
DEQ spokesman Greg Svelund told The Nugget on Monday that the Tollgate project involves "non-friable" asbestos - which means it is not readily subject to crumbling, powdering and becoming airborne. Inhalation is the key safety concern with asbestos.
Non-friable asbestos is much less of a safety concern than friable asbestos.
"We do not need a licensed asbestos abatement contractor since we are not removing the non-friable AC pipe," the board noted. "We are just replacing the failed valves."
Residents will need to boil their drinking water after the water is turned back on, until Tollgate receives a water testing result approved by the Oregon Health Authority, Drinking Water Division.
"We are hoping to have the approved test results within a day of the water being reactivated to the properties," Tollgate management wrote in a website update.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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