The town of Upland is looking to purchase new equipment to help fix water leaks and pipe bursts that have plagued the town in recent years.
Upland Town Manager Jonathan Perez proposed that Upland purchase equipment and train city employees to fix pipe bursts, cracks and leaks at the city council meeting on March 4. This would avoid calling in a costly emergency crew to fix the pipe issues.
The equipment and training, approximately, costs $61,000, which is less than Upland has paid for repair companies to drive to Upland and fix major water line breaks. Perez is working on an estimate to see how much money the city will save from water loss. The equipment will allow Upland city water workers to drill down into broken pipes and prevent water from flowing through them.
The council approved the proposal 4-0, excluding one member who was absent.
Training city workers to fix Upland’s water line issues would increase the speed at which they are fixed, instead of waiting for an outside organization to take care of the problem, Perez said. He also said that the new equipment will last for years and is a worthwhile investment for the city.
While Upland may still call for outside assistance on larger issues, the city council expects those times to be few and far between.
The city council also confirmed the next milestone in the Main Street Mile Initiative is underway. Construction to replace the bridge on Main Street began on March 3. Approximately one mile of road is blocked off to accommodate the construction vehicles. The project is on schedule and projected to conclude around November 2025.
All Upland city council meetings are open to the public and streamed online for live viewing. The next meeting is on March 18 at 6:30 p.m. A community questionnaire is scheduled at the Upland Town Hall for 6:30 p.m. on April 29.
