By now, if you’ve driven down Woodbury Road, you’ve noticed the construction commissioned by the City of Orlando Public Works Department that began on July 27, 2009. The project, officially titled the Eastern Regional Reclaimed Water Distribution System (ERRWDS) Phase II Contract 1B, is set to install approximately 16,000 feet of 42-inch diameter ductile iron reclaimed water main piping south along Woodbury Road. Officially, the project begins 1,500 feet south of State Road 50 and continues to the intersection of Golfway Boulevard before going under the pavement of the southbound lane of Golfway and across South Alafaya Trail. Its final destination will be west to the Orange County Eastern Regional Water Reclamation Facility.

The pipeline stems from a project commissioned in the early 2000’s by the region’s various water management districts to come up with a 20 year water management plan says Allen Oyler, public works director for the City of Orlando. “There was some computer modeling done and we found that in a few years we will be reaching our sustainability limit, so we have to look elsewhere for water,” he says.

Outside of the St. John’s River, the next biggest source for water is reclaimed water that has been highly treated and designated as safe for certain uses, such as irrigation. “The majority of water we use is not for personal use like drinking or hygiene,” says Oyler. “It’s for irrigation. Roughly 55 to 60 percent of water use from OUC is used for irrigation or watering lawns, and reclaimed water is perfectly suited for that use.” According to Oyler, the reclaimed water is far cheaper than the next best alternative, the St. John’s River. “We should save our drinking water for drinking and use this perfectly safe water for irrigation purposes,” he says.

This segment will be the last leg of the pipeline to connect the north portion of the line with the south portion, successfully completing the system. “The system not only helps to further conserve water, but it will also save a good amount of money moving forward,” Oyler says. “I understand residents will be inconvenienced but I cannot stress enough the importance of this project for the region as a whole. Ultimately this will help residents and the rest of the region the in long term regional plan.”

The $5,206,568 project is scheduled to be completed in July 2010. Northbound lanes of Woodbury Road and Golfway Boulevard will be modified to maintain two-way traffic during construction, although delays are expected. Project work is scheduled to take place from 7:00 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, except on city designated holidays. The project will effect roadways and possible sidewalks in front of Waterford Lakes Elementary and Discovery Middle school, which has some officials concerned, at least for the time being. “My biggest concern, and I believe that this will be answered, is ensuring student safety on their way to and from school is in place,” says Daryl Flynn, school board member for District 2. “It’s important that we work together and I’m confident we will find a solution.”

“We plan to do work immediately in front of the schools around holiday break in December because there simply isn’t enough time to complete that at the end of the summer,” says Oyler. Safety for the kids is a high priority for all parties involved. “There may be challenges along the course of the year but from the initial impressions I’ve been given, they seem committed to impacting the schools as little as possible,” says Flynn.

Want to learn more about the project? Follow along on it’s official Web site by clicking here.

Article by Corey Gehrold