Here we go again: After patiently enduring a long, grueling, noisy and sometimes stinky sewer line replacement last year, now people in the northern Financial District will be affected again as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission installs a new water main pipe in the area.

On the upside, only small areas will be affected instead of long stretches of streets, according to SFPUC spokesperson Steve Kech. “They’ll try to do it block by block so no one area gets hit for any length of time," he said. The goal is "to cause as minimal disruption as possible." That's likely music to the ears of business owners in the area, some of whom were hit hard during the messy Drumm Street sewer work.

Here's the lowdown, according to a 10-day public notice the SFPUC sent to area residents and input from Kech:

What: This project will replace pipes in the street that are approaching the end of their useful life.

Where: Jackson Street from Stockton to Grant streets, Sansome to Front streets; Washington Street from Davis to Drumm streets; Davis Street from Sacramento to Market streets; and Drumm Street from Jackson to California streets. Crews will replace the sewer main on Sacramento Street from Battery to Drumm streets. 

When: It officially started March 12th with staging and prep work, but the actual digging began in April. Last week, a large trench was cut on Jackson at Sansome streets. This week, workers are at the intersection of Jackson and Front streets outside of Kokkari Estiatorio restaurant. An online map shows where construction is occurring. The notice says it'll run through January 2016, but Kech said they hope to finish by the end of the year.

How: Expect the usual—noise, dust, vibration, loss of parking spaces, traffic delays and occasional water disruptions (advance notice will be given). Oh, and when walking around the construction, be sure to look up from  your cell phone and pay attention to flaggers so you don't get hurt.

"Hopefully this will go more swiftly" than the sewer line work on Drumm and Spear streets, Kech said. There, workers ran into all sorts of things that were not on any map, including buried utilities, old ships and abandoned tanks.

Thanks to the city's policy to only "dig once" and complete all work, whether it's for water lines, electric, cable or other, residents should get some relief after this is finished. “Once it’s paved over," Kech said, "it should be safe from being torn up again for another five years.”