BCWA pipeline fix could take months

Officials warn that repairing leaky cross bay pipeline could require usage restrictions, use of emergency backup supply

By Ted Hayes
Posted 4/17/19

The pipeline that supplies water to thousands of Barrington, Warren and Bristol residents is leaking nearly 300,000 gallons per day, and officials say it could be a long and expensive haul to repair …

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BCWA pipeline fix could take months

Officials warn that repairing leaky cross bay pipeline could require usage restrictions, use of emergency backup supply

Posted

The pipeline that supplies water to thousands of Barrington, Warren and Bristol residents is leaking nearly 300,000 gallons per day, and officials say it could be a long and expensive haul to repair it.
The leak was discovered Tuesday, April 9, at the Port of Providence at Fields Point, when water started seeping up through the parking lot. Its source has not been precisely located and probably won't be for some time, Bristol County Water Authority Executive Director Pamela Marchand said. But she said the leak lies approximately 10 to 14 feet under the lot in an area where the BCWA's 20-year-old cross bay pipeline emerges from the Providence River bed.
Fixing it could take months, she said Wednesday, and could necessitate water usage restrictions and a shutdown of the cross bay pipeline. But she stressed that the region's water quality and supply will remain safe throughout the duration of the work.
"That's the priority," she said.
The BCWA's board of directors last week authorized the expenditure of up to $500,000 to fix the leak.
"It's probably going to take a while," she said. "It's a pretty extensive area (where it could be). You don't just want to start digging holes over there."
The leak is in an area where 30" ductile pipeline couples with 30" steel pipeline, and then down to 24" steel pipeline.
"It looks like it could be on a weld. It's low flow, but (that flow, about 200 gallons per minute) is staying pretty even."
Repairing it won't be a simple matter, she said.
First, crews need to pinpoint the leak, but to do that workers will have to install an access port in the pipeline, a job that will require specialized parts that need to be ordered. Once officials determine what type of port they need and order it, they will also have to order an "insertion tool" equipped with a camera and sonic ability to help remotely pinpoint the leak.
"That would be the safest way to go," she said.

Shut it down?
In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, BCWA officials wrote that it is not a matter of if the cross bay pipeline will need to be shut down, but when. On Wednesday, Ms. Marchand clarified that statement, saying engineers have not yet determined that a shutdown will be necessary. However, she said, one appears likely:
"It most likely will need a shut down," she said. "We are still hopeful that we won't have to. But in order to do the repair under the amount of pressure we have there, it's going to be safer to shut it down."
When and if a shutdown is necessary, BCWA officials plan to turn on an emergency interconnect system installed in East Providence several years ago, which provides emergency water supply to Bristol County via the Scituate Reservoir. Ms. Marchand said that tests done on the system late last week have confirmed that that connection can supply about 3.5 million gallons per day, if needed.
While that is enough for early Spring, the system could be taxed if the repair work drags on for one to two months or more. By then, residents will be putting a higher demand on the water supply with garden watering and other increased seasonal usage.
For that reason, BCWA officials wrote in a press release issued Tuesday that restrictions will likely be put in place:
"When the backup supply from East Providence is needed, water restrictions will be implemented, such as no outdoor or unnecessary use."
"Restrictions could last one to two months, or longer, while the pipeline is repaired. Information will be provided to all customers" as needed.

Current status
Engineers started reviewing drawings and data late last week to help close in on exact spot of the leak, but no other construction at the Port of Providence has taken place yet. Currently, Ms. Marchand said, the BCWA is working with the state DEM to establish work protocols, and has hired Beta Engineering, the firm that engineered the cross bay pipeline, to contract the repair work.
Ms. Marchand said the issue shows the vulnerability of Bristol County's system, which does not have a dedicated, redundant water source in case of emergencies.
For several years, BCWA officials have been pushing for permission and funds to build that redundant source, which would cost more than $20 million and would run through East Providence.
The leak is a good example of why she believes it's needed:
"We'll be much better off when we get a new connection," Ms. Marchand said.

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