Town of Stillwater East Street Neighborhood Watermain Replacement

In recent years, the Town of Stillwater’s water system has been prone to frequent water main breaks in the Riverside Area, posing a significant maintenance cost to the district and causing service interruptions in the affected service areas (approximately 520 service connections). The mains in this area are primarily comprised of asbestos cement pipe (ACP) and, due to their age/brittleness, the Town has limited system pressure in this area. As a result of the lower pressure, the available capacity (flows) and operating pressure are in turn reduced.

The Town wanted to replace the aged infrastructure in order to improve water supply reliability. The proposed Base Construction project included replacing water distribution system infrastructure located along East Street and Best Avenue, with Ferris Street, Lefko Street, and Champlain Avenue as bid alternates. This replacement project was the second of a three-phase water main replacement project in the area.

LaBella prepared preliminary water main alignment and connection drawings in consultation with the Town so that a subsurface investigation could be performed to identify soil conditions in the general project area. The design was advanced to the 60% level and was reviewed with the Town along with an estimated cost of construction. After the Town’s review and acceptance, 95% design was completed, reviewed, and approved by the Town, and subsequently submitted to regulatory authorities for permitting. Upon receipt of comments from regulatory authorities, drawings and specifications were finalized and prepared for public bid.

We also performed construction administration and observation services during construction. The water main installation took place along the streets of a residential neighborhood, so care was taken during construction to minimize disruption to homes and residents’ water service. The water main and associated services were installed parallel to the existing water main, maintaining service to the residents for most construction activities, with only minimal (max four hours at a time) service interruptions.

The new water system consists of approximately 3,700 linear feet of 8-inch PVC water main and associated appurtenances. The project resulted in an improved water supply system, providing increased available capacity and service reliability for residents in the area.