Alderwood Service Line Replacement Project - updated 7/25/24

Project Pictures 7/29/24 - 8/13/24

Please click on this link to see the letter mailed out to Alderwood System residents to notify them of a representative that will be taking pictures over the next 3-4 weeks.  

Alderwood System Notice about Project Pictures

Thank you for your patience during this part of the project preparation.

Valley Water District

Alderwood Service Line Replacement Project - original post 3/6/24

The District is in the engineering/design phase of a District side service line replacement program.  The Alderwood System has historically higher than average water loss due to aging galvanized service lines (the pipe that connects the water main to the water meter).

This work will include replacement of any services that have not already been replaced by District staff and may include limited replacements of some sections of water mains that have shown signs of continuing leakage.  This work will also include relocation of any meters which were positioned on private property and they will be moved onto the County road right of way.

For the next 7 – 8 weeks, there will be surveyors on site preparing for this project.  They will be moving throughout the Alderwood System and may need to access up to the meter box on private properties that have not had the meter box relocated onto the right of way. 

Thank you for your patience as the surveyors move about the system.  Please contact the District if you have any concerns.

Lead Service Line Inventory 

The Environment Protection Agency has established new rules requiring the District to inventory all public and private water lines in all of the District systems by October of 2024.  The District needs your help complying with the new federal EPA water system requirements.

Staff has already started the process of inventorying the public watermains and lines (on the District side of the meter) but we need your help identifying the materials on all private service lines (lines from the meter to your home or business).

If your home was built before 1986, and you know what material your water service line is made of (for example, PVC, poly, galvanized steel, lead, copper, etc.), please contact our office by email or phone with the information listed below.  Email: service@valleywaterdistrict.com or call: 253-841-9698.

 Your service address

The year your home was built

The year your service line was installed or replaced

The material your service line is made of (PVC, poly, galvanized steel, lead, copper)

 The Clean Water Act banned lead in drinking water pipes in 1986, therefore homes built after 1986 are unlikely to have lead in their service lines. The District is very confident that none of the public watermains or service lines contain lead due to the age of the systems and due to our experience with repairing and maintaining the lines since 1993.  The District has never discovered any lead materials in any of the systems.

 Thank you for helping the District comply with the EPA requirement.

The most common source of household water leaks is the toilet

..and since the toilet is also the largest user of household water, you will save water and money by repairing a leaking toilet as soon as possible.

Follow these easy steps to test your toilet today.

1. Carefully lift the lid on the toilet tank (behind the toilet bowl) and place a few drops of food coloring in the water.
2. Do not flush the toilet for at least 15 minutes.
3. If any of the dye shows up in the bowl before flushing, you likely have a bad flapper and you are losing a significant amount of water between flushes.

To learn about the care and repair of toilets, check into an online class at Toiletology 101. Be amazed at how easy and expensive this do-it-yourself project really is.

Valley Water District is currently working with Pierce County on updating the District's Hazard Mitigation Plan for 2020-2025.  The District will begin working on the next Hazard Mitigation Plan update for 2025-2030 in September 2024.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) describes "Hazard Mitigation" as any sustainable action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from future disasters. Mitigation planning breaks the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction and repeated damage.

If you have any concerns or ideas of hazards that you as a customer think Valley Water District should be aware of, please feel free to send an email to: service@valleywaterdistrict.com.  

Community Preparedness Survey - this survey was provided by Pierce County Department of Emergency Management.