Construction begins on water main replacement
Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 9, 2026
The City of Homer recently announced the commencement of a major water infrastructure project that will replace the raw water transmission main, which carries water from the Bridge Creek Reservoir to the city’s water treatment plant. Construction was slated to begin on Monday and is currently expected to be completed in October.
According to a March 23 press release from the city, the project is funded by a $2.2 million Hazard Mitigation Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Both the design and permitting phases of the project have been completed.
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program helps communities reduce long-term risks to public infrastructure from natural disasters. The funds became available after an earthquake that occurred in Alaska on Nov. 30, 2018, that was declared a federal disaster. According to the release, the grant was approved by Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, and is administered by the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
As part of the project, contractor South Central Construction will replace approximately 4,000 linear feet of the existing 8-inch cast iron raw water transmission main, which is over 50 years old and is “brittle, subject to corrosion and earthquake-vulnerable, having already required multiple repairs,” the release states.
The replacement 12-inch high density polyethylene pipe will be installed parallel to the existing main using an open-trench method. The old main will remain in service until the new main is operational, and customers should not experience water service disruptions during construction. According to the release, the city will provide timely updates to the public of any changes that may affect service.
HDPE is described as a “reliable, corrosion-resistant and durable choice for water infrastructure in Alaska for the past 15 years,” and the release notes that the replacement pipe is “specifically designed to withstand seismic activity through its flexibility, toughness and leak-free fused joints.” The larger diameter of the replacement pipe will also be able to supply the water treatment plant’s maximum daily flow capacity of two million gallons per day, when needed, through the pipe’s 50-plus-year lifespan.
“By making our water supply infrastructure more seismically resilient, this project fulfills the core objective of hazard mitigation: reducing potential disaster losses and protecting lives, property and essential community services,” the city’s website states.
In addition to the water main replacement, the project also includes installing fiber optic cable to replace aging copper telephone lines that “have been subject to frequent failure.” The line replacement will upgrade the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition communications system that provides real-time monitoring, remote control and coordination of the pump house and water treatment plant’s operations. According to the city’s website, fiber optic cable provides more reliable remote monitoring, enhanced security, faster data transmission, reduced maintenance requirements and better protection from weather damage.
Read more about the project on the City of Homer website at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/publicworks/construction-begin-raw-water-transmission-main-project.
