Fresno targets aging water and sewer mains to curb emergency repair costs

Fresno targets aging water and sewer mains to curb emergency repair costsAs emergency pipeline breaks cost the city three times more than planned replacements, Fresno is overhauling its capital delivery structure to prioritize utility projects and support downtown housing expansion.

The city is executing a major downtown project to replace 16,000 feet of water mains and 3,300 feet of sewer mains, alongside the rehabilitation of 9,700 feet of existing sewer lines.

City Manager Georgeanne A. White noted that the city is dialing up its replacement plan for utility projects because aging infrastructure is causing frequent breaks that require emergency repairs at three times the standard cost.

To handle the increased workload, the Capital Projects Department is creating a dedicated utilities division focused exclusively on the Department of Public Utilities, which is currently the city's second-largest client with 68 active projects.

Downtown sewer replacements are being prioritized to build capacity for future housing, while residential neighborhoods will largely see cost-effective rehabilitation of existing lines.

The City of Fresno is accelerating its utility capital program to address a backlog of aging water and wastewater infrastructure, driven by the escalating costs of emergency pipeline failures. During a June 9 budget hearing, City Manager Georgeanne A. White highlighted the urgency of the city's infrastructure replacement plan, noting that frequent breaks in the aging system are forcing the city into reactive, emergency repairs. "We have to go in and do it on an emergency basis, which is three times as expensive," White said. "So we really have dialed up the replacement plan for the DPU [Department of Public Utilities] project." To manage the growing pipeline of utility work, the city's Capital Projects Department (CPD) is undergoing a structural reorganization. CPD Director Denix Anbia announced that the department is splitting its utilities and on-site project management division into two separate entities. The newly formed utilities division will focus exclusively on DPU projects, reflecting the utility's status as CPD's second-largest client. DPU currently accounts for 68 of the 270 capital projects managed by the city. A centerpiece of the city's current capital plan is a major water and sewer project in the downtown area, funded in part by state GO-Biz grants. The project, which began construction in March and is slated for completion in December, encompasses the replacement of approximately 16,000 feet of water mains and 3,300 feet of sewer mains. Additionally, the city is rehabilitating 9,700 feet of existing sewer mains. According to DPU Director Paul Amico, the decision to replace versus rehabilitate sewer lines hinges on future capacity needs. The downtown replacements are specifically designed to support increased housing density. "We replace lines if we need additional capacity for that line, or rehab if we can, if it's more cost effective just to leave it alone and it doesn't need to be upsized," Amico explained. The strategic pivot toward inner-city infrastructure replacement sparked debate over the allocation of ratepayer funds for future development. Councilmember Miguel Angel Arias opposed expanding infrastructure to fringe development areas like SADA, arguing that the city has "plenty of need in the existing city, and we can be busy for the next 10 years replacing all the existing sewer lines and water lines within the city proper." White firmly pushed back against the assertion, clarifying on the record that the city is "not pulling ratepayer money from the inner city to go build new infrastructure in SADA." Separately, the city's Planning and Development Department is integrating new Esri mapping technology to monitor the performance of temporary, unlined stormwater detention basins, ensuring they maintain adequate capacity to prevent localized flooding.