Secondary Water
Secondary Water Shut Off
Winterizing the Outside Watering System
With winter approaching, it is time to start thinking about winterizing your secondary water system. The City will start draining the system the middle of October and finish the middle of November. As homeowners you should make sure your system is drained to prevent freezing pipes. We recommend you leave your valve open until Thanksgiving to be sure there is no more water going into your system from the main lines. If you shut your valve before this you potentially will have water in your pipes that haven’t drained. At that time it is also helpful to remove your filter so it doesn’t freeze. If you have any questions please contact the Public Works Office at 801-785-2941.
Also, we would like to thank everyone that tried hard to conserve water. We were able to get through the season without running out of water. Thank you very much!
Uses of Secondary Water
The City will start filling the secondary water system around April 11th. This process generally takes a few weeks to get all of the air out of the system and begin properly providing water. Everyone is being asked to wait until May 1st to start watering. The following is the recommended watering procedure:
- Please check your valve to make sure that is has been turned off from the winter months.
- Open your valve slowly to check for leaks and broken pipes.
- If you have a broken pipe it was most likely frozen throughout the winter months.
How to Clean Your Water Filter
PG Irrigation
If you are looking for information on the PG Irrigation Company please use the following contacts and information:
- Watermaster: Billy Joe Allgood (801-427-5025) For ditch flooding or related concerns
- Secretary: Alcia Redding (801-358-9477) For payment for water assessments
- For all other concerns please go to http://www.pgirrigation.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Call the Public Works Department. All areas are scheduled to be completed by 2008. A schedule map is available at the Public Works shop. (323 West 700 South).
Go to City Hall and pay the hook-up fee of $100. Have a professional hook up your line to the secondary water service, or do it yourself. To help keep our drinking water clean and safe, call the Water Department at 785-2941 to have your hook-up inspected. Don't bury the line until we have inspected it.
Secondary water is dirty water with debris that clogs filters and sprinkler heads. This filter needs to be cleaned regularly. The filter is usually in the box near your secondary water connection.
We began filling the system on April 15th and it takes two weeks for full pressure. Please do not try to turn the system on before May 1st as it disrupts the filling process.
There are several reasons for not turning the system on earlier. Usually this time of year, it's still cold and when the system is filled too soon there are major maintenance issues including lines breaking due to the cold and possible flooding can occur. Also, the earlier the system is filled, the faster the water will run out during the summer.
Secondary water is piped to our homes from the Provo River and used for outdoor use only for watering lawns, gardens, trees, etc. The water is not attached to the house, that is culinary water.
Secondary water is also known as gray water or irrigation water. It is NOT treated and therefore NOT safe to drink.
Most Pleasant Grove residents have secondary water. However, developments west and south of State Street do not have secondary water because the initial cost of going underneath State Street was very high and at the time there was underdeveloped land that the city was not sure how would be built out, causing planning issues for a possible secondary system.
About 2007.
Recommended procedure:
- Check your valve (NOT UNTIL MAY 1ST) to make sure that it has been turned off from the winter months.
- Open your valve slowly to check for leaks and broken pipes. If you have a broken pipe, it is most likely from being frozen during the winter.
- The broken line could be from a low spot in the pipe where the water couldn't drain properly and froze.
- The city recommends/suggests that you put a drain in where the pipe was broken when you fix your pipe.
In order for the system to operate more efficiently, everyone is asked to help balance the system by following a watering schedule.
- This requires watering during the day as well at night.
- It is recognized that watering during the day is less efficient, but it is necessary to better balance water use.
- Odd number homes water Mon., Wed., Fri. and even number homes water on Tues, Thurs. Sat.
- No residential watering on Sunday.
Call Public Works at 801-785-2941.
