City contractors working on routine water main replacements have emptied hundreds of gallons of water into the street near the Point Loma community of Fleetridge over the past few weeks. The contractors have flushed the water through the new pipes to clean and test them for bacteria. “The reason you’ve been seeing so much water is because the water pipes failed the [bacteria] test,” said Jericho Gallardo, a city project manager. Residents questioned city representatives about the runoff at a Point Loma Community Planning Board meeting on Nov. 20, asking why city contractors waste water during a time when city officials are asking residents to conserve. Gallardo, who was not present at the meeting, said the dumping is part of a routine procedure and that the city currently has no program to recapture the water. The water is measured and charged to the contractor, Gallardo said. The current project is about 90 percent complete, according to Gallardo. He said residents should not be seeing any more water flowing down the streets as a result of the pipe replacement. City officials attending Point Loma planning board meetings informed residents of a separate water main replacement project expected to start in 2010. That project would replace old cast-iron water mains along sections of Silvergate Avenue, Concord Street, Talbot Street and surrounding areas. Luis Scharr, project manager for the upcoming replacements, said service would be slightly interrupted while the city replaces the pipes sections at a time. Residents would be informed by mail about the date and time the services will be interrupted. City officials have begun informing the public to clear up potential conflicts and to warn residents ahead of time, he said.