Over the past year, as the world seemed to slow down and almost stop at times, it simultaneously seemed like the workload never missed a beat. As the pandemic ramped up last spring and into the summer, so did our work orders. Due to the pandemic and our crews working staggered shifts, the number of work orders was on the rise.
But when the work needs to get done, it’s “all hands on deck” for our Charlotte Water crews. Over the past several months, our crews have begun conducting a “leak blitz” during one weekend each month to reduce work orders’ backlog. This means that our crews will develop a list of priority leaks to complete throughout the weekend. Approximately 24 crews are assigned to work on the leaks, while other crews are assigned to work on emergency-only leaks as they arise. In some cases, they have completed up to 50 leaks during a leak blitz weekend.
Our most recent leak blitz was this past weekend, February 20th and 21st. Crews were able to catch a break in the rain and get out to fix 29 leaks and counting, with a few work orders still pending. Thanks to our crews’ tremendous effort and hard work, they have been able to reduce the backlog of work orders and will continue to perform leak blitz’s in the coming months to stay ahead of the curve.
Learn more about how our staff prioritizes leaks, and how to protect your pipes during the winter months by reading our blog, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for the latest information from Charlotte Water. To report a leak in your area, please call 311 directly.
On Tuesday afternoon, Charlotte Water crews quickly responded to an emergency water main break at the 1300 block of Central Avenue.
This repair required the replacement of a 12-inch water main, which was no easy feat. The water main wasn’t the only thing underground – crews also had to remove or replace a few things that were in the way of the water main break:
Remove an old trolley line
Replace 24 feet of wastewater pipe
Remove an old water pipe no longer in service
Repair a storm drain affected by the excavation
During the restoration phase, crews also found a second leak on the main. Crews will be repaving the road Saturday and checking the area to ensure the remaining older water pipe doesn’t spring a leak. Crews estimate all lanes will reopen Monday evening.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 23 a water main break near the intersection of W. Morehead St. and Freedom Dr. was reported to 911. Charlotte Fire Department and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded and quickly alerted Charlotte Water to the situation.
Intersection of Freedom Drive and W. Morehead Street
Pavement upheaval, areas of low pressure and temporary localized flooding were caused by the break of a 20″ water main. The cause of the break is unknown at this time. A variety of factors can contribute to water main failure including nearby construction, weather and changes in pressure.
As Charlotte Water crews arrived on the site of the break, staff isolated the break by operating valves in the area. Within about an hour of arriving on the scene, pressure was restored throughout the community. At this time, no customers are without water service.
Repair efforts are underway using Charlotte Water staff and an emergency contractor. Charlotte Water estimates the repair and road reconstruction to take several days. Residents are asked to avoid the area if possible. Detours will be in place during the repair and road reconstruction.
Traffic will not be allowed outbound on Freedom Drive
As repairs are made, customers in the immediate area may experience low pressure or discolored water. Please contact 311 to report low pressure or outages. Customers are asked to flush cold water taps for 15 minutes if they experience discolored water. If discolored water persists, please contact 311. Further updates will be provided.
Summer intern Jake Dube is on a quest. Join him as he shadows Charlotte Water staff to learn about all the different things that Charlotte Water staff do in the community.
Charlotte Water has 912 employees. I am going to work alongside as many as I can to learn as much as I can about the utility. Last week, I had the pleasure of shadowing Bobby Sloan, Large Meter Repair Crew Chief, on my first ride-along of the summer.
His day begins early. Bobby doesn’t mind, he is an early bird and wakes up around 3:45 a.m. He doesn’t need much, a walk in the crisp morning air and a cup o’ joe. He knocks out office work before we meet. I arrive and grab our gear and head to the truck.
In addition to working out in the field, Crew Chiefs coordinate and dispatch staff to various jobs each day. When I get into the truck, Bobby looks over his ToughBook and examines the list of jobs for the day. He chooses his service request to respond to and starts the truck.
Bobby is a detective. He investigates strange water bills. The first service job we are heading to is for a low water bill. We arrive at the apartment complex and find the water meter box.
Bobby Sloan taking a reading from the large water meter.
Bobby uses his tool to open the meter box and begins to run a test. He makes sure that the device registers the same number found on the meter.
Inside look
The meter is registering the same numbers the scanner is. Bobby looks up briefly to ponder the problem in front of him. In what feels like no time at all I see the light bulb turn on. Bobby knew exactly what to do next.
He comes back from the truck holding a water key. He takes the key, sticks it down around a bolt and turns…
With water running, it confirms that the meter was working properly. Bobby deals exclusively with the meter. Anything past the meter box is not his expertise. The large meter was working, and water was registering. The apartment complex may not use much water, or there is an issue elsewhere in the system. This means that this ticket will stay open and someone else will come back to further investigate the problem.
The Water Key
This is how most days go. Find the job, look at the meter, and solve the problem.
Everything is running smoothly before the last meter of the day…
Bobby is responding to a request to locate a meter. Charlotte Water staff went out to check the meter but could not find it. That was now our job.
Bobby pulls out his phone and opens up a city app that shows all the water and sewer mains, manholes, and meters in Charlotte. We see that there is a meter box down the street. We orientate ourselves and get walking.
Beginning the search for the meter box
Bobby is carrying a prod, this tool is used to poke the ground. Sometimes the meter box is covered in overgrowth. Bobby suspects this is the reason the crew couldn’t find the meter. We walk down the street to the spot on the app. With no meter box immediately in sight, we begin looking around the surrounding area.
Bobby works his way around some large trees and starts poking around. We come up with nothing. Bobby looks at me with a small smirk on his face. Just like he has done all day, he gets an idea. We go back to the truck to use a trick of the trade.
Searching for the meter box
He opens Google Maps on his phone. He taps the button for street view and drags the slider to 2011. We are looking at the same street, but not as overgrown. He is looking for blue spray paint on the side of the road; a mark used by staff to identify water meters on the street. Though this is neat, we still can’t find the meter box.
Not being discouraged, Bobby grabs his ToughBook to do some investigating. He looks up the history of this meter box and found the last person to service it. The name reads Frank; he smiles and says “Watch this”. Frank is on Bobby’s team and must be one of the most organized people I have ever met. He calls Frank, who opens his excel spreadsheet noting every meter he has serviced. Frank laughs as he had to find this meter. He directs us down the block, around the corner. We follow his directions and find the spot.
Problem solved right? We finally found it…ish. We look up from the blue marking on the street to find weeds 5 feet tall.
Bobby gets out of the truck and grabs his tools.
After a few minutes, he cuts his way to the meter box, sticks his shovel in the ground, and catches his breath.
Meter box finally found
We approach the top of the meter box and open it up. We are finally done… except there is one more surprise left.
Filled meter box.
The meter box is filled with water. Bobby explains that this is common in low lying areas.
As I stand there wondering how in the world we could solve this, Bobby goes to work. In his truck, he starts pulling tools out and he hooks something into his truck battery. It is a portable pump.
Portable pump.
He takes the pump and places it down into the meter box. With a flip of a switch, the water comes pumping out.
Pump in action.
After a minute, the meter box is clear of water. Bobby checks to see if the meter is working correctly. Before we leave, he sprays blue spray paint to help the next crew member find the box.
As we are driving back to the office, I thank Bobby for letting me tag along. I started out my day as a novice and now I know so much about large meters.
At the end of the day, one thing was clear. Bobby wants the best for the customers of Charlotte Water. He makes sure that they have access to water 24.7 and that the meter is working properly. He is an incredible guy and a fountain of knowledge. I had a wonderful day riding around with him. Thanks again, Bobby!
For more stories on other Charlotte Water employees, stay up to date with us on our blog and other social media accounts!
A conversation with Charlotte Water
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