Winter Schedule

Hello again everyone,

In the last progress update the winter schedule for the water main contracts was still up in the air.  Since then, the contractor has decided that the areas highlighted in yellow would be good sections to tackle.  One section is the east most portion of #3, north of the rail road tracks and east of Daisy.  The other is #8, south of the tracks and east of Begonia.  It is anticipated that between these two sections and assuming some bad weather at one point or another, this should be enough work to last through the winter.  As these sections near completion we will keep everyone updated as to where they will go next.

 

Thank you everyone for stopping by again, be sure to have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Pictures from the Best View In Town (post 2 of 2)

Here are just a few more pictures.



 

Looking north west at Spencer Park and Town Hall

Looking straight down from the access hatch in the side of the tower!

Thank you, as always, for your interest.

Pictures from the Best View In Town (post 1 of 2)

Hello again everyone,

 

So here are the pictures I mentioned. These were taken yesterday (12-4) from on top of and inside the tower. Click on the pictures for a full size view and check the captions for a brief description. Enjoy

 

Looking north from Town Hall to Creek Side Commons subdivision



Looking west along Halleck St



Looking west at Spencer Park

Looking up inside the bowl of the tower (where water will be held)

 

Progress Update

Hello again everyone,

I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving and is excited for the holiday season.  There has been a lot of progress since the last schedule update and things are going well. 

Contract A: The treatment plant building itself is complete except for some minor finishing such as painting.  The three wells are ready to pump water.  Bacteria tests from each of the wells have been submitted and we are currently awaiting results.  The instillation of the process piping within the plant is underway but it is not anticipated to be complete until mid January. 

Contract B/B1: The updated the progress map below shows all of the water main that has been installed so far.  Approximately one third of the water main has already been installed.  As I have previously mentioned, they contractor hopes to continue working through the winter so long as the weather cooperates.  Over the next month they will be working south Birch St SW from 9th St to 15th St, as well as north on Almond St NW from 3rd St to 6th.  After these sections are completed (they will be worked on simultaneously) they have not decided where they will work next.  It is worth mentioning that whatever areas they choose next will be areas where the main is to be installed under grass parkway, so sections that have the main under pavement will be postponed until spring.  The reason for this is that the plant which makes hot mix asphalt closes over the winter, so the roads would not be paved until spring. 

Contract C: The tower is complete! The next time you are driving down Halleck St or enjoying Spencer Park be sure to have a look.  There is still some minor site work to be done, and the Tower has to be sterilized before put in use.  I will post some pictures I took from the very top of the tower yesterday as soon as they are downloaded. 

The NORWEJ board has made a decision on which meters to go with: they have chosen a no-lead brass bodied Neptune meter.  A decision has been made to offer a monthly training class for plumbers and contractors who are interested in helping homeowners connect to the water system.  The first of these classes will be offered sometime in January.  Once all of the details for the class are worked out more information will be made available.  There will be a public list of those who have completed the training class to help homeowners made an informed decision when choosing who they want to do their work. 

As things are looking now, the first users should expect to have water available in late February to early March.  And subsequent sections will be turned on as they are completed. 

Thank you all again for working with us and understanding.  And be sure to check back real soon for the pictures!

Pictures of Progress

Grimmer's excavator in the intersection of 9th and Birch

One of Pheonix' workers putting the finishing touches on the water tower

Above:  Another one of Phoenix' painters uses a roller to apply the epoxy based paint onto the tower.

Below:  LJ Keefe installs steel casings for the water main to go under Halleck.  Once the casings are augered into place the water main is carefully installed inside. 

What is being done to ensure quality work on the water main?

By David Brunsting and Nick Tremmel

When a community is investing in a large project such as the NORWEJ water main in DeMotte, quality of the workmanship is essential. It is certainly of the utmost importance to Abonmarche Consultants as well. Engineers and inspectors have a few tools at their disposal to ensure the main has been installed without any faults. Those tools come in the form of tests, principally a timed hydrostatic leakage test and a bacteria test. The municipal water main must pass these tests to ensure that it is ready for service prior to allowing the public connect to the main. We at Abonmarche oversee these tests.  The pressure testing portion is outlined in this post.

Leaks in a municipal water main are problematic and can be costly. First, a water leak is essentially money being dumped into the ground. When water is pulled out of the municipal well it costs the system in the form of wear and tear on equipment and energy to run the equipment. Since the processed water leaking into the ground will not go through a water meter the costs of treatment cannot be recouped. Even small leaks can cost municipalities tens of thousands of dollars per year if left unattended. Second, leaks can be destructive to existing infrastructure. Even small leaks can undermine and collapse roads and other structures. Additionally a leak invites the possibility (albeit a slim one) for contamination of the water in the line; whereas a sealed system provides a physical barrier to contaminating bacteria.

If the water main could be installed above ground, inspection for leaks would be very simple. Just fill the main with water under system pressure and look for drips. Obviously, water main cannot be installed above ground and must be buried so the question becomes, how do we ensure the connections are acceptable? The answer is pressure testing indicates any leaks and bacteriological testing indicates any contamination from the installation.

The way it works is rather simple. The main to be tested is filled with water and air is expelled by opening hydrants along the way. Once the pipe is completely filled with water from a clean well and almost all of the air is out then the contractor connects a hydrostatic pump to the main. The hydrostatic pump will bring the pressure of the entire line up to the test pressure which in our case is 100 pounds per square inch. This test pressure is roughly two times the system working pressure of 50 PSI. The pump is turned off and the main is held at test pressure for a period of two hours. Because it is almost impossible to get 100% of the air out of a water main the pressure will begin to lower slightly, as seen in the picture. These minor losses are expected, and they are the result of the remaining air trapped in the main, temperature differences, minute movement of the pipe itself and other very miniscule factors. The minor losses do not necessarily indicate a leak, but we have to be sure. There are specifications that lay out (based on hypothesis and empirical data) which draw a line, so to speak, between acceptable and unacceptable pressure losses. After the two hours have passed and there has been a drop in pressure the contractor has to pump the main back up to 100 PSI. The specifications (in our case American Water Works Association, AWWA, C605) outline an allowable amount of water to be used to return the line being tested to the original pressure. This make up water typically amounts to 1 to 2 gallons depending on the length and diameter of the line being tested. Should they go over the allowable amount the test fails and the contractor is responsible for correcting the issue. It is common for a line to initially fail a pressure test but pass on a subsequent attempt. This is most commonly the result of excess air in the main. Though quite rare, on occasion a leak can be found; the cause of the leak could be any number of things, be it material issues or improper instillation or something else altogether.  

 Pictures of Progress

Above:  Stock pile of 8" diameter pipe near the intersection of Birch Street and 15th Street.

Left:  Workers from Grimmer Construction bolt together an 8" tee on Birch Street just across from the DeMotte Library.

Below:  One of several hydrants installed on 700w just north of 1350n. 

(Photos by David Brunsting)