Frequently Asked Questions
What can I expect during construction?
Will I be able to park in the road or my driveway during construction?
What about safety?
What if maintenance is required on my sewer line after it has been installed?
When will my lot be restored?
How long will my street be under construction?
When will the streets be returned to usable condition?
What if there are existing utilities (water, gas, cable TV, telephone, etc.) that conflict with the sewer installation?
The proposed new sewer installation crosses into the roadway and will disrupt traffic during construction.
Who do I contact if I notice a problem with the quality or execution of the work?
Who do I call with questions during construction?
Will my landscape be damaged during construction?
Do I have to be home when this work is done?
Why do I have to convert to sewer?
What is the treatment capacity fee?
Did you receive competitive bids?
Does the contractor have experience in this type of work?
When will I have to pay my treatment capacity fee?
Why was my neighborhood chosen at this time?
How is my monthly bill determined?
When will my home be connected to the system?
Can I do the repairs myself and bill the Contractor / City?
How long does the Contractor have to make repairs?
When are the resident documents due?
Will the water be shut off for the entire 3 days that are noted on the door hanger?
What is the Contractor going to do with the septic tank?
Will the Contractors need to get into my house?
What can I expect during construction?
The Contractor will be required to maintain the work area daily to create a clean and safe work zone. This means that the roadway will periodically be wetted down to minimize dust and construction materials. Equipment will also be kept in a neat and orderly manner throughout the project. You will be notified two weeks in advance of construction on your street and one week in advance of construction/waterline work on your property.
Will I be able to park in the road or my driveway during construction?
You will be able to see the progress of work and determine when construction will be in front of your home or driveway. At times, if you are unable to enter or exit your driveway, the contractor will notify you to make arrangements for you to park in a safe area away from construction. Otherwise, you can park in your driveway and the contractor will accommodate your specific needs.
What about safety?
The contractor will be responsible for project safety and traffic control around construction. They will be required to backfill open excavations as well as secure the project site at the close of each workday. However, during work hours of 6am-6pm, you can expect heavy equipment traffic and open excavations in the work zone. Please stand clear of construction activity and advise children to do the same. Our goal is to have a safe and successful Project.
What if maintenance is required on my sewer line after it has been installed?
If your sewer service should need maintenance within a one-year period after it has been installed, call AMEC and report it. The City's Contractor (who performed the construction) is responsible for repairs. After the one-year period, it will be the property owner's responsibility to maintain the connection between the house and the street (lateral).
When will my lot be restored?
Lot restorations will be completed as the project nears its final stage, which is connection to the sewer and abandonment of the septic tank. The initial phase of on-lot work requires digging a trench from the waste outlet of the structure to the front of the property and installing the lateral and cleanouts. This is only the first phase of the on-lot work. The contractor will return a second time to connect the structure to the new sewer line and abandon the septic tank as soon as the main sewer line has been approved and accepted by the necessary regulatory agencies. Once this final step is complete, lot restoration will be addressed.
How long will my street be under construction?
Areas of the City will require varying timeframes for construction. Our current contract specifications require the contractor to NOT exceed 60 days in any one area from the time the street is milled. For questions about your street and property please call AMEC at 928.854.8030 or 1(866)40-SEWER (73937).
When will the streets be returned to usable condition?
During construction, the contractor will patch and pave street excavations in a reasonable timeframe in order to minimize property owner inconvenience, and construction in any one area will not exceed 60 days. During this timeframe, residents will always have access to their street and property. Upon completion of the project, streets will receive new asphalt as determined by the Contract Documents or the City Engineer.
What if there are existing utilities (water, gas, cable TV, telephone, etc.) that conflict with the sewer installation?
When possible, alternate alignments will be chosen. When this is not possible the utility company will have the conflicting utility moved.
The proposed new sewer installation crosses into the roadway and will disrupt traffic during construction.
When possible, alternative alignments will be selected and the new sewer lines moved to minimize traffic disruption. If this is not possible, the contractor will be required to present a traffic control plan in advance of construction for approval by the City. Information about construction areas and possible traffic delays will be shared with local media and available on the Wastewater System Expansion Program website, within the Council Update document.
Who do I contact if I notice a problem with the quality or execution of the work?
Property owners can contact AMEC, (928) 854-8030, if they have a question or concern. Items reported are tracked within the WWSE database and are reviewed by AMEC, the contractor, and with the City in weekly construction meetings. For homeowner and contractor protection, photos are taken of each property prior to construction for use as a baseline in lot restoration efforts.
Who do I call with questions during construction?
The City has designated AMEC as their representative during construction. Residents with questions can call 928-854-8030 or e-mail nancy.kollar@amec.com.
Will my landscape be damaged during construction?
Every effort will be made to maintain current levels of landscaping. In some instances this is not possible due to septic tank location and sewer lateral location. Some properties have mature landscaping that has survived primarily on nutrients from the onsite leach line. When these nutrients are removed, the landscape will most likely require more care. If you feel your landscape may be at risk, please contact a local nursery to discuss care of your landscape after the consistent nutrients have been removed. Planning for this situation in advance of sewer construction can make a big difference in landscape condition for the future.
Do I have to be home when this work is done?
For the majority of properties, construction can be completed without the owner/resident present. In some situations where the septic tank and sewer connection is located behind a locked gate, access will need to be scheduled.
Why do I have to convert to sewer?
In response to rising concerns over the need to preserve the quality of the groundwater and Lake Havasu, a Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan was authorized by the City. When the wastewater master plan was prepared, 16% of the land within the City limits and 12% of the planning area was served by a central sewer system. The remainder utilized onsite (septic) systems to treat and dispose of the waste generated from each property. The Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan was completed in 1998 and recommended the elimination of septic systems and the construction of a community sewer system. A bond election was held in 2001 to authorize the borrowing necessary to proceed with the Wastewater System Expansion Program. This bond election passed by a margin of 3 to 1.
All systems must be installed in accordance with Lake Havasu City Code, which was adopted to control pollution discharges in response to water quality findings by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and is consistent with its Revocation of General Aquifer Protection Permit, Docket No. APP-57-02.
ADEQ will consider any owner/operator who does not hook up to the sewer line themselves or allow Lake Havasu City to do so, after this revocation, to be in violation of State law for discharging without an Aquifer Protection Permit. In such a circumstance, the owner/operator will be subject to enforcement by the ADEQ under Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 49, Chapter 2, Article 4.
Also, per Lake Havasu City Ordinance, an owner/operator who does not hook up to the sewer system will be subject to the following:
1) A treatment capacity fee that will be billed following the 14-day mandatory hook-up period.
2) The minimum monthly sewer user charge that will be billed following the 14-day mandatory hook-up period.
3) Continued failure to connect to the sewer system could result in the termination of water service to the property.
What is the treatment capacity fee?
The treatment capacity fee (TCF) is assessed to all new connections to the sewer system and is based upon the projected cost of wastewater treatment facilities, the capacity associated with these facilities and the number of equivalent residential units (ERUs) to be served by the facilities. The TCF is $2,000 per ERU. An ERU is defined based on water meter/service line size, i.e., all ¾ inch services are considered to be a single ERU. Due to larger property size and higher water consumption some properties will be required to pay a higher TCF if the meter is larger than a typical ¾" meter or more than one meter is required to serve the property.
Customers would be allowed to pay the TCF in accordance with one of the following options.
- One time payment - This payment will be billed separate from the water bill. The customers will be billed the week following connection and will be given 30 days to pay.
- Treatment Capacity Fee Loan Program - The Treatment Capacity Fee loan program is paid over a 10-year period at 4% interest. The monthly installment will be billed on the 1st of each month following connection.
- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) - CDBG funding assistance is available to those meeting the income qualification requirements. For guidelines, please visit the following section of the WWSE website http://ci.lake-havasu-city.az.us/sewer/UserCharges.htm.
Did you receive competitive bids?
Yes. Currently the City has used the design, bid, build process that enables the City to competitively bid the sewer construction projects.
Does the contractor have experience in this type of work?
City will have up to three WWSE Projects in process at any given time. Every effort is made to select a contractor that is both affordable and experienced in this type of construction.
When will I have to pay my treatment capacity fee?
Within 14 days of property connection to the Citywide sewer system, the treatment capacity fee will be billed to the property owner. If you select the 10-year loan option, loan payments will be required monthly and will begin the 1st month following connection.
Why was my neighborhood chosen at this time?
The process for planning and construction of the citywide sewer system is based on water pressure zones within the area combined with standard engineering practices. All sewer systems start at the low point of an area and work their way up to the higher elevations.
How is my monthly bill determined?
The monthly sewer bill is determined by water consumption during the months of January through April. The highest bill of the four months is discarded and the remaining three are averaged. This amount is the monthly amount that will be charged for the year. This average is re-calculated every year.
When will my home be connected to the system?
Maps of the City in relation to the WWSE are located at City Hall and available online at http://ci.lake-havasu-city.az.us/sewer/11yrprgm.pdf. These maps give a general idea of construction timing for each neighborhood. More detailed information is available for properties that are close to construction by calling AMEC (928) 854-8030 or e-mail nancy.kollar@amec.com with your property address.
Can I do the repairs myself and bill the Contractor / City?
No. The Contractor is responsible for restoring the property to its pre-construction condition or better. The Contractor should have the opportunity make any necessary repairs / restorations to achieve this. In the construction contract, clauses are included to ensure properties are restored to pre-construction conditions. If the property homeowner initiates any repairs, the Contractor is no longer responsible for the restoration of that item as the Contractor does not want to be responsible for any additional repairs due to the property owner's repair efforts.
How long does the Contractor have to make repairs?
By contract, the Contractor has 60 days from the date pavement is replaced to resolve resident construction issues. AMEC and the City are currently revising the construction contract specifications to reduce the time the Contractor has to make any necessary repairs.
When are the resident documents due?
AMEC requests the documents be returned prior to the award of the construction contract. This enables the selected Contractor to schedule the work efficiently and minimize the potential for re-work and additional Contractor mobilization costs.
Will the water be shut off for the entire 3 days that are noted on the door hanger?
No. The Contractor is required to give a range to residents of when the water will be shut as scheduled production by change due to field conditions. The Contractor generally conducts this work between 9am and 4pm to avoid high water usage hours.
What is the Contractor going to do with the septic tank?
The Contractor is required, per the Mohave Health Department, to decommission the septic tanks by removing the contents, disinfecting and collapsing the structure in place. The septic tank is not removed for its location. Fill material is placed over the septic tank location and compacted.
Will the Contractors need to get into my house?
No. All sewer construction work should be outside the home from the clean-out location to the street.