Jacinto City replacing aging water distribution system

Advanced technology allows 300 feet of 8” water main pipe installed 6 feet deep by boring without digging a open-trench. Jacinto City Officials observing, Water Superintendent Bernardo Perez (left), Councilman Allen Lee, City Manager Lon Squyres and Public Works Director Kyle Reed. (Photo by Allan Jamail)
Advanced technology allows 300 feet of 8” water main pipe
installed 6 feet deep by boring without digging a open-trench. Jacinto City Officials observing, Water Superintendent Bernardo Perez (left), Councilman Allen Lee, City Manager Lon Squyres and Public Works Director Kyle Reed. (Photo by Allan Jamail)

Jacinto City, TX — The current Jacinto City Water Line & Fire Protection rehabilitation project is the latest in a multi-year effort to rebuild the oldest portion of Jacinto City’s aging water distribution system.

The current project’s base cost is $ 973,446 with the Harris County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for communities providing 80% of the cost. When completed it’ll provide 62 blocks of new water main lines at a fraction of the cost to the city.

The first phase replaced the largest main supply trunk lines down Mercury Drive and Holland Avenue. The second phase is installing new lines to the oldest homes in the Industrial Addition from the 10100 blocks through the 10700 blocks south of Market Street Road.

City Manager Lon Squyres said, “We followed this process for the last several years making adjustments in the scope of work that’s allowed us to install longer sections of pipe at a better price.”

Roger Ramos, Vice President of DDS (Directional Drilling LLC), one of the contractors doing the pipe installation, said, “In a 8 to 10 hour day my crew can install 300 linear feet of the water main pipe line which includes the boring under existing driveways preventing costly cemented driveway repairs by digging a open trench.”

Squyres stated, “The original system had scattered fire hydrant placement, now we’ll have 82 new fire hydrants at every intersection providing a consistent water supply close to every home providing much better fire protection.”

Jacinto City’s Public Works Director Kyle Reed said, “This is my dream come true, the new lines and more valves means fewer line breaks from the near 70 year old original system.” The original system had fewer valves and when a line broke it was difficult to isolate small specific areas causing many residences to be without water.

Water Department Superintendent Bernardo Perez, who’s watching the project closely, said, “My main concern is insuring the new system is installed correctly and before any new drinking water line is connected to a home the water has been tested and meets all state and federal codes.”