Summer is fast approaching, and the season last year for Fairhope meant water use constraints amid a drought and city utilities at capacity.

To get ahead of the problem this year, Fairhope City Council called a special meeting Thursday, May 2, to discuss the replacement of a water main at Fly Creek.

"The reason we thought this was so imperative to do this was because this contract will actually increase the size of a line right there on Hwy. 98 in front of the Woodlands. It will also help with the line that's right there at Fly Creek that needed some repair," Mayor Sherry Sullivan said. "It will help with the flow to the Rock Creek and Woodlands area. We want to get a two-week jump on this project."

Sullivan went on to stress the importance of this project due to the season and lack of rain in the month of April.

"We don't know if May is going to be dry also, so we want to go ahead and get this project started," Sullivan said.

The summer of 2023 was unusually dry for the Gulf Coast resulting in drought and heavy water usage. Fairhope Public Utilities customers faced emergency
conservation phases that limited outdoor water usage for irrigation and car washing. Fairhope's water usage was at capacity and forced city leaders to get creative.

Last year, council approved a resolution to establish a water connection with Daphne Utilities. The connection increased Fairhope's water capacity by 500,000 gallons of water in the event of an emergency. The city has also been drilling new water wells to increase capacity.

Thursday's meeting was to decide between four options for the water main at Fly Creek:

• Option 1 – Directional bore (12" HDPE pipe) Woodlands Drive and across Fly Creek to repair an existing 12" water main.
• Option 2 – Directional bore (12" HDPE pipe) under Woodland Drive and aerial crossing on an existing pedestrian bridge (12" ductile iron pipe) across Fly Creek to repair an existing 12" water main.
• Option 3 – Directional ore (12" HDPE pipe) under Fly Creek to repair an existing 12" water main.
• Option 4 – Areial crossing on existing pedestrian bridge (12" ductile iron pipe) across Fly Creek to repair an existing 12" water main.

Daryl Morefield, water superintendent, said this is an emergency repair to get water "up north."

"One of our 12-inch lines failed. It is imperative to get this done as soon as possible," Morefield said.

Council President Corey Martin asked Morefield if the repair project would increase the size of the water main, resulting in an increase in water volume and prevent decreases in water pressure.

Morefield explained the project is twofold: it would repair a broken water line under Fly Creek and expand the capacity of water moving to the north across the entrance of the Woodland neighborhood.

"Right now, it's a choke point, and that's what we're trying to mitigate right now to eliminate that choke point," Morefield said. "Going with a bigger pipe, we get a bigger inside diameter and more flow, greater volume and pressure."

Councilman Jack Burrell asked how far under the creek this pipe would be. Morefield it would need to be at least 10 feet below the bottom of the creek.
The project will run from the south end of the Woodland entrance to the north side of Fly Creek.

Burrell asked about the size of the pipe. Morefield said they are abandoning the 12-inch pipe for a 16-inch under Fly Creek.

Council voted unanimously to approve the project and award the bid to Gator Boring and Trenching Inc. The project will cost the city $599,304.75. The boring portion of the project is projected to take a "couple of weeks at the most."