Announcement: Neighborhood Flags and Manhole Covers
Announcement: Neighborhood Flags and Manhole Covers
Phase One of the Davenport Rim “Water Shut-off Project” (Email to owners, and published on the Rim website on April 7, 2019, reproduced below*) is now complete. A contractor has found all of the brown iron “manhole covers” throughout the neighborhood. They are marked with a white flag in each unit’s front yard. They have also been cleaned out and should be operable. This is the main shut-off valve for every two units (in most cases), and should not be used to turn off water in the home in the event of a flooding emergency or in case of a repair need in the home. In most units, turning off the water in the unit is made easier by a separate smaller valve, operated by a turn handle, found within a green-cover casing located within a 2-foot distance of the main valve. Each unit owner should know where that shut-off valve is in the case of a unit water emergency.
Please do not remove the white flag in your front yard, unless you mark the location of your manhole cover and send that info to Pioneer. Our contractor is working on a diagram of the site of each manhole cover for Association records. When that is completed, we will come around and remove the flag.
Also, you will also see other colored flags (pink, red, yellow, and blue) around the neighborhood, with a Brightview name on each. Please do not remove these flags. They mark the site of an irrigation head that is no longer needed. Once those heads are capped off, Brightview will remove the flags as an indication that the head has been capped. Brightview is also recording where those heads are located in case of changes in future landscaping.
As always, the Association appreciates your patience and cooperation.
*(April 7, 2019) Water shut-offs for units - Based upon recent incidents where owners have not been able to find their front-yard home water shut-off valves, the Board is highly recommending that each unit owner know where the shut-off valve is for the unit. To aid owners, the Board will soon be hiring a contractor to search and find the main water input to each unit. In our neighborhood, this consists of a brown iron “manhole cover”, one of which usually serves two adjacent units. Some owners have reported small leaks in these mainline inputs or that the entire hole is filled with mud or dirt. These will be identified, cleaned out, and checked for good working order. These are not the places where owners should turn off their unit’s water, however. For that purpose, coming off the main input are two smaller valve casings with usually green covers. These contain turnoff handles for quickly turning off the water in each unit. Sometimes these casings have been covered over with mulch, stones, or even sod (some landscapers do that), and it is the unit owner’s responsibility to find these casings for their unit in case of an emergency. Usually owners will find theirs themselves or hire a plumber to find it. Knowing where your shut-off is before an emergency will save a lot of time and money compared to trying to do it when your unit is flooded!