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Repairs to city’s water system under way

36-inch main among needed renovations

One of three line stops installed by Hydra-Stop to assist in the repair of the Beaver Creek dam while allowing water to be available to nearby residences. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic

Barbara J. Perenic One of three line stops installed by Hydra-Stop to assist in the repair of the Beaver Creek dam while allowing water to be available to nearby residences. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic

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By Samantha Sommer, Staff Writer Updated 7:32 AM Monday, March 15, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — Crews are working on water lines — including one that’s 115 years old and another that’s one of the city’s largest — after a low-head dam recently washed out.

In late January, a city worker found that the fill under the dam in Beaver Creek near Pumphouse Road had washed out, said Mike Adamson, utility maintenance superintendent.

A 36-inch water main, the biggest size the city uses in its system, ran through the dam.

The pipe could have moved and opened up without that support underneath it.

“Then it could actually fail and fall in, and then you would have a mess,” Adamson said.

The line will be rerouted south of the creek and a contractor has stabilized the dam with stone.

Much of the fill supporting a 24-inch water line just upstream also washed out. It dates to about 1895, part of the original waterworks.

A new 24-inch pipe will be installed six feet deeper to avoid future problems. Five new valves also will be installed on multiple lines. All of the work will cost about $300,000 and should wrap up by March 19. The city had planned to do some of the work this year, but the dam washing out made it more urgent.

To do the repairs, the waterlines will have temporary line stops, which is when plugs are inserted to isolate the areas that need work.

Otherwise about 150 people would be without water for several days.

“It eliminates having to put so many people out of water service,” Adamson said.

A home on Pumphouse Road will be without water during the work and they received bottled drinking water and a water tank.

Four people will likely be without water for about eight hours one day during valve repairs near Hilltop Avenue.

Buck Creek State Park also will be without service during the repairs. The park has a large storage tank, Adamson said, and the work is timed to avoid peak camping season.

“This is all time-sensitive ... That’s why we tried to get this going as fast as we could,” he said.

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