Gas Line Rupture
Around 3:30 p.m., our guard on duty informed us that the IPR crew had hit and ruptured a gas line near the intersection of Windbreak and Walkwood. Our guard, Brenda Holden and I went down to assess the situation. A CenterPoint inspector had made it on site by that point. The natural gas odorizer could be smelled as far away as the intersection of Plainwood North and Walkwood. The sound of the escaping gas could be heard hundreds of feet away. We called the Fire Department and they came as shown below. The CenterPoint crew to do the actual repair made it to the site about an hour later. Traffic was blocked going to Windbreak South and our guard staged a checkpoint on Walkwood. Another resident and I made contact with the neighbors who were at home on Windbreak South to apprise them of the situation.
Site of Gas Rupture
CenterPoint & COH Inspector
Engine 78 Crew Responding
"Current" Update for IPR
I wish I could provide you an update, but the City and IPR have refused to do so for over a week now, even though the emails received previously were titled, "UPDATE: Memorial Thicket COH Sanitary Sewer Rehab Daily Project Schedule". I have asked more than once since a week ago about status, but it has been complete radio silence. As such, we were not informed that the IPR crew would be working on Windbreak today. A heads-up would be helpful so that our fellow neighbors can schedule accordingly. We also haven't been informed about the status of the CCTV project by TB Environmental. We are operating in the dark at this point.
The Project
The City of Houston has contracted with IPR to rehabilitate the sanitary sewer lines within Memorial Thicket. A "trenchless" rehabilitation method is to be used to minimize excavation. This involves pipe bursting and then installing new sewer pipe inside the existing sanitary sewer lines. Access points will generally be at the manholes. The system consists primarily of 8" lines and some 10" lines closer to the Old Stone Trail Lift Station. More information can be found in the notices. One is for the sanitary sewers that run in the front yards and the other is for those few streets where they run in the back yards. Click on the buttons below to see the notice.
IPR Work Week
The crew is generally scheduled to work Monday through Thursday on rehabilitation, which consists primarily of preparation and fusing the pipe, rehabbing the main via pipe bursting, doing the service reconnects and MH seals. On Friday, site work restoration is to be completed. The intent is to keep a minimum amount of pipe on site during the project and try to do just- in-time deliveries. During the work week, equipment will be left overnight on the street, but not on the weekend. Over the weekend the trucks will not be in the neighborhood, but excavators and other equipment will remain, but will not block any traffic lanes in Memorial Thicket.
IPR Points of Contact
The contractor on the project is IPR (Inland Pipe Rehabilitation). Our primary IPR contact is Stephani Arredondo, whose information and others is:
Stephani Arredondo, Project Manager
346.242.4170 sarredondo@teamipr.com
Doug Elliott, General Superintendent
832.642.4443 delliott@teamipr.com
Hugo Salazar, Assistant Operations Manager
346.324.4270 hsalazar@teamipr.com
Rafael Cruz, Superintendent
832.523.7834 rcruz@teamipr.com"
Coming to Your Street!
This project will impact every street in our neighborhood. Most of the manholes are located in our front yards. For a few, the locations are in our backyards. This is not a simple project -- it will be ongoing for six weeks according to the project manager (but I would plan for months). At this point we don't know the order or time of when different areas will be impacted other than what has been noted above. Click on the button below to see where the sanitary sewer lines run in our neighborhood. The white circles represent manholes.
Irrigation and Landscaping
Be sure to check your irrigation lines during the project to ensure that no lines/heads are broken. If any have been, contact Stephani with IPR, whose info is above. IPR's subcontractor is responsible for restoring the site to its original condition after completion of construction activities. This includes any landscaping that was disturbed. I would recommend taking photos of your property (front and back) to document your landscaping so that if any damage occurs, IPR can see what needs to be repaired.
Sanitary Sewer Replacement Survival Guide
In 2015, Toshi Mochizuki put together a PDF with photos and illustrations showing what is underground that helped each of us prepare for the AT&T contractors who were then doing cable installation on and near our property. This was based on his experiences and each property will have a different configuration. It is still pretty relevant for this project. Please click on the button below to access his guide. Thanks, Toshi!
Greg Sergesketter Director 815 Elk Run Circle 713.234.0604
September 7, 2021