20th & 21st Street Information | Water Main & Hydrant Flushing
Maintaining the Holland BPW utility system is essential to the reliability of our services. Oftentimes crews are working in roads, which can be dangerous. We ask our community to help keep our team safe. When you see crews working, please take care to respect their work zones.
20th & 21st Street Reconstruction Project
- When: Work begins March 23, 2020
- Where: Cleveland from 19th to 21st Street
COVID-19 UPDATE:
The 20th/21st Project will continue, though in a modified way.
All work requiring entry into customer homes has been postponed for the time being to reduce potential health concerns and ensure un-interrupted utility services for the duration of the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order 2020-21. The contractor will instead focus on components of the work that do not directly impact residents, and that are allowed under the Executive Order. This work will take place primarily in Cleveland St.
We appreciate your patience as we try to complete this work with minimal impacts to you.
Holland Board of Public Works will be reconstructing portions of Cleveland, 20th Street and 21st Street.
Cleveland will include new storm sewer installation.
20th Street will include water mains, storm sewer, concrete sidewalk, drive apporoaches, curbs and asphalt pavement.
21st Street will include new sewer mains, water mains, storm sewer, concrete sidewalk, drive apporoaches, curbs and asphalt pavement.
Work will be done in 2 phases
- Phase 1 – Cleveland Ave and 21st; March 23 – July 15, 2020.
- Phase 2 – 19th St between VanRaalte & Washington Ave. Work will not begin on Phase 1b until after the completion of the school year.
All dates are weather dependent and may be altered due to inclement weather, underground conditions found upon excavations, or other unforeseen circumstances.
Information for Residents
Our goal is to keep you informed and up-to-date about this project from start to finish.
Project Open House
Monday, March 30th, 6-7pm
Herrick District Library, Main Floor Meeting Room
300 S. River Ave.
- Residents will generally have daily access to homes, except during immediate construction at home, including curing of concrete and paving.
- Water shut offs are necessary for construction activities. Shutoffs will be shared with customers by orange door hangers with times of shut downs, a minimum of 24 hours in advance unless caused by an emergency.
- Trash cans should be labeled with the house number, usually with tape. Trash pickup should continue as normal. The contractor may have to move trash cans.
- Now is a good time to replace the remaining portion of the sanitary service lines if the line is in need of replacement. The City of Holland has a Home Repair program that residents might find helpful. [Learn More]
- Footing drain sump pumps should be connected to the storm sewer. Now is a good time to connect these to the storm sewer. Please let project staff know if we need to accommodate your home.
Special Instructions
The Brenner Excavating will setup and maintain all barricades, signs and warning devices as deemed necessary to assure public safety. Contractor must follow guidelines for road closures or lane closures as set forth in the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Devices.
- On-Site Inspector - Doug Huges, OMM Engineering, 616.818.0394
- HBPW Engineering Contact - Mark Gipson, Water/Wastewater Services, 616.355.1644
- HBPW On-Site Contact - David Cyrus, Water/Wastewater Services, 616.355.1646
- Brenner Excavating - Cheech Martinez, 616.218.0699
- Sump or Drainage Concerns - Al Crocker, City of Holland, 616.928.2427
Water Main & Hydrant Flushing
To improve water quality and minimize discoloration, Holland Board of Public Works water mains are comprehensively flushed by a technique known as unidirectional flushing. The procedure is performed in warm-weather months and involves the systematic opening and closing of hydrants, one section of main at a time, to force the water through the pipes at high velocity, removing accumulated mineral sediment until the water is clear.
If hydrant flushing is happening in your area, here are some things to be aware of:
1. You may experience periods of low pressure.
Typically, the operation itself can take from a few minutes to over an hour, but the average is 30 minutes. If you experience a complete loss of pressure or the temporary low pressure causes a problem, please contact HBPW at 616.355.1500.
2. Flushing may lead to discolored water. This is okay!
Flushing operations may also lead to discolored water, which can be drawn into homes and businesses if the water is being used during or immediately following the flushing. Such events should affect customers for a few hours at the most. The discoloration is caused by iron (red color) or manganese (black color) particles being dislodged from the water main which can stain porcelain and laundry. If discoloration occurs, open the cold tap nearest the water meter—usually a basement sink— to full flow until the water runs clear. In some situations this may take take 5 to 10 minutes. It is also advised that you make sure your water is clear before doing laundry or other projects where discolored water could cause problems.
3. Schedule of Flushing
A precise scheudle of flushing operations is difficult to determine more than a week in advance. Check the map to see the area that will be flushed this year. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this water main cleaning process.