Water authority ‘hopeful’ East Providence will join pipe project

BCWA previously moved to design a secondary main without city’s involvement

By Patrick Luce
Posted 5/24/17

Just a few weeks after announcing a decision to move on a backup water supply without East Providence’s involvement, Bristol County Water Authority Executive Director Pamela Marchand said she …

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Water authority ‘hopeful’ East Providence will join pipe project

BCWA previously moved to design a secondary main without city’s involvement

Posted

Just a few weeks after announcing a decision to move on a backup water supply without East Providence’s involvement, Bristol County Water Authority Executive Director Pam Marchand said she is now hopeful that city will join the authority’s efforts to install a secondary pipeline to the region.

Speaking to a joint session of the Bristol, Warren and Barrington town councils Tuesday night, Ms. Marchand voiced cautious optimism that East Providence would ultimately decide to join a project city leaders have thus far balked at.

The pipeline, which would connect to Pawtucket Water, would supply a secondary source to the East Bay, providing insurance on the aging water main that connects to Providence Water. With East Providence, the BCWA would install a 30-inch main with enough capacity for all four municipalities. Without East Providence, the authority would install a 24-inch pipe with only enough capacity for the three towns.

“We’ve shared letters with East Providence, so it looks a little more hopeful. But no commitments, no official meetings at this point,” Ms. Marchand said. “Obviously, the thing we want to do is share it with East Providence and build the 30-inch pipeline. It makes no sense to do it on our own.”

It makes no sense for East Providence, either, she said. That city’s water main, which runs under the Providence River, is in dire condition and will need to be replaced some time soon, she said. It’s something East Providence officials have been looking at as well.

“We are still hoping that they will see the light and agree they need to do this. There is some hope,” Ms. Marchand said. “Once they understand the condition of their pipelines, and the alternatives, they’ll be more willing to work with us.”

While the $20 million cost would be $7 million less than a 30-inch main, the costs would still come down for the other towns with East Providence’s involvement, and the water capacity would be greater, prompting some council members to wonder why the 24-inch main is even a consideration.

“East Providence’s pipes are in greater jeopardy than ours. We know they have, unfortunately, a perfect storm on the horizon,” said Warren Councilman Joe DePasquale. “Any engineer prepares for that, and we all know that is what is going to happen. You have the responsibility placed upon you as the water authority. Your response is to provide water to our constituents. This task is on you. Ultimately, the reality is you have that response and I think you need to deal with East Providence and figure out before you put a shovel in the ground what’s going to happen.”

That is what the authority is trying to do, Ms. Marchand said — ensure a redundant source of water for East Bay customers, whether East Providence joins or not. And time is of the essence, she said. Design and permitting work would take a couple years before construction could begin. She estimated a total timeline of six years after the project is approved.

“If they decide to delay for the next 5 years and won’t commit to anything, we’re not going to have a backup supply anymore.” Ms. Marchand said. “If we start moving forward with design it’s going to be a couple years before ready to build. Could design for a 24-inch and a 30-inch pipe in case East Providence joins in, which is becoming more of a possibility.”

East Providence City Manager Tim Chapman was not immediately available to comment.

In other business Tuesday, all three town councils agreed to move forward on legislation Ms. Marchand proposed to ensure the water authority can access its pipes underground. Other utilities, such as National Grid, will sometimes install its pipes over the water authority’s, making it difficult for the authority to get at the pipes when repairs are necessary.

“We have to pay to move their lines if we need to get under. Makes repairs much more difficult and expensive,” Ms. Marchand said. “We’re asking municipalities to do an ordinance that requires other utilities to move their infrastructure if we need to get at ours.”

The council members agreed to work on the language of the proposed ordinances with town solicitors.

Ms. Marchand all recommended towns consider establishing a “betterment fund” for water service, which would help homeowners with wells tie into the public water system when their wells go bad, which they ordinarily have to pay for themselves. The town would be able to establish a betterment district and poll residents within it whether they want to tie in. If a majority agree, all in the district would share in the cost of running a new water main to the area. The council members were non-committal on the idea.

Bristol County Water Authority

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