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Hurricane City water board recommends council allow PEX service pipe, updates hydrant and fitting standards
Summary
Staff recommended and the Hurricane City Water Board voted to recommend that the city council approve updates to hydrant details and fittings and allow a PEX service line (up to 2-inch) as a cheaper alternative to copper, pending vendor warranty documentation and a scheduled demonstration.
The Hurricane City Water Board voted to recommend that the City Council approve updates to construction standards for service lines, fire-hydrant installation details and materials, and an optional PEX-based service pipe for residential service lines.
Staff member (Speaker 4) told the board the proposed changes add the manufacturer’s bury-line detail to hydrant drawings, standardize stainless-steel components where possible to reduce brass failures, update a setter part number, and permit a PEX/UnicepEX product for service lines up to 2 inches. He said the product has been used elsewhere in the western United States and presented a cost comparison: “Copper just hit $14.60 a foot for copper. We can get this stuff for 96¢ a foot,” Speaker 4 said.
Why it matters: staff argued the changes would reduce long-term maintenance and development costs and lower material expenses for both the city and private developers. Several members expressed caution because of past problems with poly pipe; Speaker 2 summarized that experience, saying prior warranties had not provided practical protection. Board members asked staff to include the vendor’s official warranty in the council packet and requested a vendor demonstration.
On the motion: a board member moved and another seconded the recommendation to forward the standards changes and the PEX option to the City Council for approval; the board recorded ayes and adopted the recommendation. Before the vote, members requested the manufacturer’s warranty language and asked staff to place warranty documentation and the vendor’s demonstration information in the city council packet.
What’s next: staff said a municipal representative and product demonstrator will be at the city shop the next morning at 10 a.m. to answer questions and show a product demonstration, and staff will add the warranty documentation to the packet for the council. The City Council will receive the board’s recommendation and the accompanying vendor materials for its consideration.
