Connecticut Water (CTW) is currently working on the replacement of the 60-year-old water main running through Main Street in the villages of Centerbrook and Ivoryton, a project that’s expected to be completed in August. Where possible, the projects managers are scheduling work to avoid the worst impacts on traffic on the town’s main thoroughfare.

The new pipeline is being constructed by CTW through the State of Connecticut’s Water Infrastructure and Conservation Adjustment (WICA) program, and is being done in coordination concurrently with the Town of Essex and the state Department of Transportation (DOT), the latter of which will take on the responsibility of the paving project following CTW’s completion of the new water main. The water main project is expected to cost CTW $2.4 million, and will replace 1.2 miles of pipeline.

CTW Director of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications Dan Meaney said coordination will be the key for CTW, the town, and the state.

“It’s always great when we can coordinate our projects with communities, because there’s nothing worse than having a newly paved road and coming in two, three, four years after and tearing it up to put in a new section of water mains,” he said. “To the extent we can coordinate our efforts, that’s always our preferred method.”

With more than 1,800 miles of water main across Connecticut, according to Meaney, the WICA program allows CTW and residents to enjoy financial benefits of water main replacement projects.

“When we put in water mains, that cost is spread out over 70 years. When we talk about a $2 million project, customers don’t see the full impact,” he said. “They basically pay one-seventieth of that project [annually] over the lifetime of the water main. WICA allows us to systematically replace our one percent target of our water main each year, assuming that it lasts 100 years, and that’s actually better than a lot of utilities. By being able to use a WICA surcharge, we begin to recover the costs.”

Work on the replacement will occur from Deep River Road off State Route 154, through Ivory Street, and is expected to be completed in August. Initial work on the main replacement was completed from April 10 and 14, taking place between Cumberland Farms to Essex Elementary School. Most work took place at night, between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., to help ensure the safety of workers and residents and to minimize any disruptions in the busy intersection of the town, specifically traffic congestion coming from the intersection of the Cumberland Farms and Essex Elementary. Starting on April 18, work was set to take place during the day, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

CTW will be upsizing the main pipe from its existing 10-inch, cast-iron model to a 12-inch ductile-iron pipe, according to Rose Gavrilovic, manager of distribution system engineering at CTW. This will allow for greater improvements in water system reliability, providing higher levels of water flow and capacity through the area, Gavrilovic said, citing more efficient water flow for fire protection as an example of improvements from the pipe’s material upgrade to ductile.

“Through the years we’ve evolved in our pipe materials and construction methods. It is the latest technology,” said Gavrilovic.

Meaney added to the greater structural integrity of the new ductile model.

“There are new techniques for installing it where we bag the main and actually protect the main from exposure to the soil,” he said.

CTW anticipates minor interruptions in water service to town residents and customers that may last a few hours, and plans to notify those in the area about work on the main and potential interruptions in water service that may occur as a result. After work on the main is completed at each area of work, workers will begin chlorination, disinfection, and pressure testing processes to ensure the absence of leaks or any other possibly harmful issues.

The coordination efforts of CTW, the town, and the DOT have so far worked well, according to Gavrilovic.

“It’s been a really good partnership with the town and the DOT to come to the best solution on work hours, and to be able to get the water main in as painlessly as possible,” she said.