Quincy Water Main Improvements Following CIP Recommendations
Weston & Sampson has designed more than 140,100 feet of water main improvements for Quincy since 1996. We prepared a 30-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to replace the city’s unlined cast iron pipes. The first 5 years of water main replacements followed the CIP’s recommendations and were designed to address issues with poor flow, pressure, and water quality. Recent water main projects were coordinated with the city’s pavement management program and have entailed parallel main abandonment, transmission main installation, and distribution main replacement. Highlights include:
- Construction in heavily traveled roadways requiring extensive coordination among state agencies, city officials, city police and fire departments, other utility companies, and residents
- Meeting strict design and construction schedules, requiring constant coordination with city officials regarding paving and other utility projects
- Filing Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Department of Conservation and Recreation road opening permits
- Crossing or tapping water and sewer mains owned and operated by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), which required filing an MWRA 8(m) permit
- Projects within wetland areas, buffer zones, riverfront areas, or areas subject to flooding, which require filing a Notice of Intent (NOI) or Request for Determination of Applicability (RDA) with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the city’s Conservation Commission
The MWRA Local Pipeline Assistance Program (LPAP) has been used to fund many of the recent water main improvements Other funding sources include the Community Development Block Grant, Community Development Action Grant, District Improvements Financing, and local funds. Many of the water main replacement projects were performed as part of sewer rehabilitation projects where underground infrastructure was rehabilitated before the roadway and sidewalks were replaced.