Robert Steidel Promoted to Deputy Chief Administrative Office of Operations

DPU Director Robert (Bob) Steidel accepted the position of Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Operations for the City of Richmond, effective Sept. 30, 2017.

The position oversees Public Utilities, Public Works, and Animal Care and Control.

Steidel was appointed director of DPU in March 2011.

Why DPU Cares About Leaf Collection

Last year, the Department of Public Utilities contributed $625,000 to the city’s General Fund for leaf collection. So, why is the Department of Public Utilities concerned about leaf collection? It’s simple, really. When city residents don’t rake and bag their leaves, they have the potential to end up in the sewer system.

Each year, beginning in the fall, the Department of Public Works sweeps and cleans an estimated 22,000 lane miles of streets to keep debris and leaves from clogging the stormwater system. Due to the type of equipment used, only streets with curbs and gutters are routinely swept.

In 2016, 13,521 tons of leaves and debris were collected and accounted for in the annual report the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides to the Department of Environmental Quality.

This is especially important in the Combined Sewer System area of the city, which is the oldest part of the city primarily north of the James River. A Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) occurs after a heavy rain when there is too much water entering the storm basins and the excess water is released into a stream or river. In Richmond, the major overflow points are found on the banks of the James River and Gillies Creek.

There are 29 CSO outfalls located at various points along the James River and within the city’s CSO area.

Leaves clogging the storm drains would create localized flooding and prevent sewage from draining to the CSO outfalls. The proper bagging and disposal of leaves and regular street cleaning schedules play an important role each fall and winter season in the prevention of flooding during heavy rain events.

This year the Department of Public Works has made it easier for residents to dispose of leaves:

1 – Place leaves in bio-degradable bags by your supercan and DPW will pick up to 10 bags on trash day until they are gone

2 – Place bagged leaves out by the published dates and an unlimited number of bagged leaves will be picked up through the end of the corresponding schedule

3 – Pay $30 for vacuum service. Make the request by calling 646-LEAF.

For more information visit http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/Leafcollection.aspx, email LeafProgram@Richmondgov.com or call 646-LEAF.

Know Where Your Gas Appliances are Located

When a technician comes to your home or apartment to investigate a gas leak or a problem with a natural gas appliance, it saves time and return visits to know where all your natural gas appliances are located.

Is your stove natural gas or electric? If you see blue flames, it's natural gas. Whether water heaters, dryers, or furnaces are natural gas or electric might be harder to tell, but you should know where they are all located, whether in the attic, the basement, a closet, outside, in a utility room of an apartment building.

Also be aware of any other possible natural gas appliances you may have -- generators, gas logs, pool heaters, outdoor grills?

When a service technician is looking, and time is vital, all the help you can provide is important.

DPU Streetlighting Makes "Back to School" a Safe Experience

In 2017, the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Streetlighting utility was doing its part to keep Richmond Public School (RPS) students safe once they are back in school. With RPS reopening this fall, students will be waiting at school bus stops early in the morning when the city is still dark. The DPU Streetlighting utility has partnered with RPS to ensure that there are no obstructions to streetlights from trees at school bus stops where students will wait to be picked up and transported to their respective school.

In ramped up efforts that began in mid-August with tree trimming at Anne Hardy Park in Richmond’s Highland Park area, DPU Streetlight technicians are trimming any tree branches, limbs and leaves that might hamper or block the light from ornamental lights or cobra head lights positioned at RPS bus stops.   

Although this comes at a time when the DPU Streetlighting utility has adjusted service levels to meet staffing challenges, this effort is being given high priority. 

Ann Hardy Park

DPU and Fire Hydrant Maintenance

In the summer of 2017, CBS 6 and WRVA AM-1140  aired a story concerning fire hydrants and the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities maintenance and repair of them. What each story failed to mention was that the availability of fire hydrants in the areas of the reported fires that were featured were not a factor in fire suppression. This was confirmed by the Richmond Fire Department in both cases and stated publicly at a public meeting to discuss the matter.

DPU maintains close to 6,500 fire hydrants throughout our service area, and if a fire hydrant is out of service we want to know about it.  At the time of both stories, less than 1 percent of those fire hydrants were out of service. When customers call to report a fire hydrant that is out of service, be sure to get a reference number so that if the hydrant is not repaired within a reasonable time frame, you can call back and receive the status right away.   

DPU is in the process of implementing an automated fire hydrant inspection program that will make tracking and inspection easier.  Under this new system, once fully implemented, every fire hydrant will be inspected at a rate of once per year. 

DPU is always working hard to improve and streamline our systems in order to provide the best possible service to all of the customers we serve.

Fire Hydrants

Fighting fires is a tough job! No one knows that better than the firefighters at the city of Richmond. In 2016, city of Richmond firefighters put out an estimated 528 fires. This includes structural fires, vehicle and brush fires.

The city’s Department of Public Utilities are critical partners in this effort by maintaining the more than 6,000 fire hydrants owned by the city of Richmond. DPU currently inspects fire hydrants under a manual system on a bi-annual basis. By this summer 2017, DPU’s automated fire hydrant inspection program will be in effect, enabling DPU to inspect each one of the 6,000 fire hydrants every 12 months with the goal of one complete circuit per year.

To ensure adequate fire protection, each city owned fire hydrant is within 500 feet of another. Fire engines arrive at a fire with 500 gallons of water to combat the fire. The fire engines are equipped with hoses to reach hydrants within two blocks of any direction.
  

Of the 426 house fires reported over the last year within the city, hydrants have never been reported as being an issue or had any material effect on fire suppression efforts.

Residents with concerns about the operability of fire hydrants should call DPU at (804) 646-8600 

NOTICE to DPU Apartment and Small Commercial Natural Gas Customers

As part of the Department of Public Utilities' (DPU) ongoing commitment to compliance and safety standards, DPU is making apartment and other multi-family residential, as well as small commercial customers, aware of a 2017 regulation issued by federal regulatory agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). This new regulation requires natural gas utilities to offer an Excess Flow Valve (EFV) on new and replaced service lines to its multifamily residential and small commercial customers. 

An Excess Flow Valve (EFV) is a mechanical shut-off device that can be installed on the natural gas service pipeline that runs from the street to the natural gas meter that serves the property. This is also referred to as a “service line."  An EFV is designed to shut off the flow of natural gas automatically if there is a break in the natural gas service line.

As an apartment building and small commercial natural gas customer, you may request that DPU install an EFV on the natural gas line that runs to your property. DPU will inform customers of the actual cost before the final decision.

Please note that EFVs cannot be installed on some service lines due to high gas flow, low pressure or other factors. If you request an EFV but your service line cannot accommodate it, you will be advised of this. Customers who request an EFV whose natural gas load does not exceed 1,000 SCFH (standard cubic feet per hour) must coordinate installation at a mutually agreeable date.

To request that an EFV be installed on your apartment building or small commercial natural gas service line, call DPU's Permitting Office at (804) 646-8544.

For more information concerning this new regulation, click on links below:

PHMSA:

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/final-rule-expands-requirement-for-excess-flow-valves-on-new-and-replaced-gas-distribution-pipelines

American Public Gas Association:

https://www.apga.org/blogs/john-erickson/2016/10/20/phmsa-issues-excess-flow-valve-rule