Water pg 1 8-30-12
- Details
- Category: Past Issues
$7.5M water
plan on tap
for voters
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- A $7.5 million plan to replace or clean and reline water pipes, some as old as 80 years, will top the agenda of a town meeting Aug. 29 and then proceed to a referendum Sept. 5.
Water Pollution Control Authority Chairman James Shaw said the plan calls for either total pipe replacement or cleaning existing pipe and then relining it with cement. The plan covers almost 30,000 linear feet.
He added, "“This water system reinforcement project was developed after an extensive hydraulic model was completed of our entire drinking water system and demonstrated areas of the system that required either rehabilitation or replacement.”
The special town meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Putnam Middle School. The referendum the meeting will adjourn to is from noon to 8 p.m. Sept. 5.
Shaw said the project, which they hope to complete in the two building seasons of 2013 and 2014, will not increase the rates to the water system users because recently approved rate increases contemplated the possible future need to make improvements to the drinking water system.
According to Town Administrator Douglas M. Cutler, the construction portion of the $7.5 million project will be funded by a low-interest loan and subsidy under the Connecticut Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, Connecticut Department of Public Health, totaling $6,712,000 loan portion and $187,864 subsidy portion. The state has also awarded the town $677,000 under the low-interest loan program for the project design work. Current loan interest rates under the state program range from 2.06 percent to 3.7 percent.
According to Shaw, the six areas of the water system slated for either rehabilitation or replacement include:
* South Main Street Area – Study determined that approximately 7,900 linear feet (LF) of the water mains in this area are heavily tuberculated (formation of small mounds of corrosion on the inside of the pipe) and require rehabilitation. 200 LF of pipeline will be replaced and size increased if necessary and 7,700 LF will be cleaned and relined or replaced. The work when accomplished will increase fire flow along South Main Street to in excess of 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm) as compared to the existing available fire flow of less than 500 gpm.
* Laconia Avenue/Putnam Housing Project Area – The study recommends replacing the entire length of piping in Walnut Street (2,500 LF) from School Street to the Special Services District line with 12 inch diameter water main (presently consists of six, eight, and possibly four inch diameter pipe). Fire flow along Walnut Street and in the Putnam Housing site would be increased to approximately 1,000 gpm.
* Mechanics Street Project Area – Heavy corrosion in the six inch diameter pipe system in this area results in an available fire flow of only 250 gpm. Plus the project intends to replace an old water main on Alpha Street and connect two dead end pipes on Groveland Avenue. 3,000 LF of pipe will be rehabilitated and 1,100 LF of new piping installed. Fire flow increased to 1,000 gpm.
* Pomfret Street/Day Kimball Hospital Project Area – Eight inch diameter water main in Pomfret Street from Sabin Street to Day Kimball Hospital is in need of rehabilitation and the modeling study showed that if the 12 inch parallel main needs to be removed from service, fire flow to the hospital would be significantly reduced. Project calls for replacing the existing 70 year old eight inch line with 2,500 LF of new twelve inch pipe from Sabin Street to the Dempsey Center.
* Wilkerson Street Area Project – Project area encompasses Wilkerson Street, Prospect Street, Oak Street, Franklin Street and Frank Street. 80 year old 8,100 LF pipe with fire flow as low as 150 gpm will be rehabilitated or replaced. Fire flow increased to 1,000 gpm.
* Thompson Avenue Area Project – 3,400 LF (600 LF replaced, 2,800 LF cleaned and relined) of heavily tuberculated pipe will be rehabilitated to increase fire flow to 1,000 gpm.