b'theutilityandwhichter the replacement is complete. Typically, restora-partbelongstothetion begins within 90 days, weather permitting. homeowner. Winter temperatures can delay it.WahlexplainstheHomeowners can help avoid accidental dam-service connects to theagebyidentifyingprivateundergroundsystems watermainthroughasuch as sprinklers or invisible dog fences. If some-valve called a corpora- thing is damaged, Montana works to fix and re-tion.Fromthere,theplace parts as quickly as possible.utility-ownedportionAfter pipe replacements, homeowners receive runs from the main toflushing instructions and are offered Brita filters. a curbside valve calledDuring flushing, residents may notice temporary the curbstop (or curbdiscoloration, sediment or air in the line. After valve),accessiblefromthe process is complete, Wahl says there should thesurfaceviaacurbbe no issues. Occasionally, fixture aerator screens box.Everythingfromcan clog and reduce pressure. If that happens, resi-thecurbstopintothedents can reach out and the crew can address it home is owned by thethe same day.property owner, so theConstruction is disruptive. But the goal is long Michael Oliveira is the project manager for Montana Construction, the contractorcurbisthehandoffterm: safer materials, lead-free service lines and a responsible for the lead service line replacement.point between the pub- system that can reliably support South Orange for licsystemandprivatedecades. People often view construction sites as ing, usually around 5:30 a.m. A good day is whenservice. an inconvenience, which we understand, Wahl everything flows properly and there are no con- InSouthOrange, Wahlsaysthemostcom- says. Our work isan effort to improve the flicts. A rough day is when one problem triggers amon materials they find are lead, galvanized steelcommunity long term.chain reaction and the crew is out late. (a zinc-coated steel pipe) and copper. Theyve evenAnd your street will look normal again soon.Heres the agenda in Wahls words: First wefound wooden water mains in really old systems,So the next time you see cones and a fresh ex-arrive on site and make the area safe. Then we re- but thats very unusual. Lead often has a dull nick- cavation, you can say with confidence: theyre not view all of the utility markings. We then contactel-like color and may show a bulge near the shut- just digging holes. Theyre connecting the dots be-the homeownersto advise that work is aboutoff. Galvanized is easy: a magnet sticks to it. Cop- tween an older system under our feet and a safer, to begin. per is copper, sometimes oxidized into that Statuecleaner one built to last.Next comes verification. They dig at the curbof Liberty green. For more information about the New Jersey line to confirm the material of the pipe and makeNew Jersey American Water is installing cop- American Waters Lead Service Line Replacement sure replacement is needed. Once it is verifiedper on the utility side and customer side in Southprogram,visitamwater.com/njaw/Water-Quality/that a lead or galvanized service is active, WahlOrange. This is the best choice because it is lead- Lead-and-Drinking-Water/index says, we will begin digging in the street if needed. free and very reliable, Wahl says. For more information for South Orange resi-Then the pneumatic mole is deployed, a newProjectslikethisrunoncoordination,dents, go to amwater.com/njaw/Customer-Service-line is run, the crew reconnects to the homes in- including traffic control, safety planning, utilitiesBilling/south-orange ternal plumbing and they flush the line before re- marking and communication with local partners.Adrianna Donat is a writer and local realtor with storing service. Communication [is] really the most importantPollockPropertiesGroupdiggingupthedetails On average, Wahl says, one homes service linething, Wahl says. We coordinate with the po- (sometimes literally) about living in South Orange replacement takes about two hours. But unfore- lice, the Department of Public Works and trafficand Maplewood.seen ground conditions and utility conflicts canenforcement daily.slow things down. And winter weather can makeResidentsalsowanttoknowhow everything harder. theyll be notified. Wahl says New Jer-If you want the top reasons a job stalls, Wahlsey American Water sends notifications doesntromanticizeit:unmarkedundergroundtocustomersbeforeconstructionbe-utilities, non-responsive homeowners and extremegins. After that, Montana Construction weather. Snow, he says, makes our lives very dif- handsoutnoticesascrewsapproach ficult. each street.And then there are the surprises that remindButthereisntastreet-by-street you this is real life. scheduleforresidentstocheck.Wahl One of our crews was working on a propertysays they dont publish one to residents in the neighborhood and as one of the laborersbecause the plan changes often. Instead, was setting up to run the inside plumbing materi- they send a two-week look-ahead weekly als, he found a turkey hanging out in the base- report to the town, New Jersey Ameri-ment, Wahl says. We got a pretty good laughcan Water and other parties, plus a daily out of that. schedule for the following days work.While the crew is working, Wahl gets a lot ofMontana Construction also handlesIn South Orange, the most common materials they find are lead, questions about which part of the line belongs torestoring the street and sidewalk area af- galvanized steel (a zinc-coated steel pipe) and copper. feature story /35'