WATER

WATER PIPE REHABILITATIONI N BR O O K L I N E A N D BR I G H T O N

MWRA’s system of tunnels andaqueducts conveys water to theMetropolitan Boston area from

protected supply reservoirs in centralMassachusetts. Large pipelines deliver thiswater to our customer communities. Thewater pipelines included in this project,portions of the “Boston Low Service” net-work, deliver water to downtown Bostonand surrounding areas. The projectincludes construction work to rehabilitatelarge water pipelines in Brookline andsmaller portions of pipe in Brighton.Cleaning or replacing old water mains is akey part of MWRA’s program to improvethe reliability and quality of water serviceto customers.

A MASSACHUSETTS WATER RESOURCES AUTHORITY PUBLICATION – 2002/2003

FACTS ABOUT MWRA

BACKGROUND

MWRA operates about 15 miles of unlinedcast iron pipes laid in the Boston Low Servicenetwork between 1848 and 1908. The condi-tion of old pipelines can contribute corrosion towater en route to customers and lead to mainbreaks that disrupt service, damage property, oreven cause pavement collapses. In addition,more than 40 percent of the valves in this sys-tem were non-operable because of age, soMWRA would find it difficult to isolate a bro-ken pipe in an emergency.

MWRA completed designs to improve andmodernize the condition and operability ofthese lines and began rehabilitation work in1999. Most of the project work includes clean-ing out and placing a new cement mortar lininginside sections of existing 20- to 48-inch pipe.Large valves that are no longer operable arebeing replaced as well. The cost of the 10-milepipeline construction work included in thiscontract is $14 million. MWRA’s contractor, P.Caliacco Corp., is completing the work in seg-

ments in several Brookline and Boston neigh-borhoods (see enclosed map).

MWRA chose to rehabilitate these pipes,replacing sections only where necessary, tominimize cost and disruption to the public.The project will not interrupt water supply andconstruction has been organized to accommo-date neighborhood traffic patterns, schoolschedules, holiday shopping, and communityevents. MWRA works with local public offi-cials and businesses, other utilities, police andneighborhood associations to complete the proj-ect safely and efficiently. MWRA is workingwith Brookline and Boston officials to notifyresidents and business owners near the streetsaffected by the project.

LOCATIONS

Project construction began near ClevelandCircle on the Brighton/Brookline line. Thework is taking place in segments that are organ-ized around logical construction sequences andother, ongoing projects. Beacon Street in

CONTRACTOR PREPARING ONE OF THE ACCESS PITS ON BEACON STREET.

WATER

THE CLEANING PROCESS REMOVES CORROSION PRODUCTS FROM THE

INTERIOR OF THE PIPE.

THE SCRAPER HAS A SERIES OF SPRING-LOADED METAL BLADES THAT

REMOVE OLD BUILDUP FROM THE WALLS OF THE WATER PIPES.

Brookline, for example, is the site of severalprojects, including MBTA track and stationimprovements. MWRA is working with commu-nity officials to schedule its work in these hightraffic and pedestrian neighborhoods in order tominimize impacts.

COMPLETED SEGMENTS

The first four segments of the project havebeen completed. They include the followingstreets:

• St. Paul St., from Beacon St. to Buick St.• Winchester St., from Beacon St. to Fuller St.• Fuller St., from Winchester St. to

Harvard St.• Harvard St., from Fuller St. to Verndale St.• Centre St., from Fuller St. to Beacon St.

In 1999 MWRA completed two earlier phasesof this project. They included work inCleveland Circle, on Beacon, Buckminster andBoylston Streets, Clinton Road and BrooklineAvenue. By working with local officials, MWRAhas been able to notify the community well inadvance of mobilization and thus minimize dis-ruptions to the neighborhood. MWRA alsoworked with the Chamber of Commerce andlocal businesses to maintain access to shoppingand parking areas.

THE NEXT PHASE

Work will begin this spring on the remainingtwo segments in Boston and Brookline neighbor-hoods:

• Beacon St., from Cleveland Circle to Harvard St., beginning in March 2002 through July 2003.

• Longwood Ave., from Harvard St. to Chapel St., beginning in March 2003 through July 2003.

Some of this work on Beacon Street will lookfamiliar to residents, but there are actually twoparallel pipes running down the street. Thecontractor is working on the second pipe, up toHarvard Street, in this segment.

The work will take place in phases. Thecontractor opens an access pit to reach a pipesegment and do the cleaning, then places steelplates over the pit and moves to the next area.Then the contractor returns to the access pit tocomplete the relining, cleaning and disinfectionprocess. Detail police officers manage trafficflow in busy areas. The project will not inter-rupt water supply to businesses and residences.

THE CLEANING AND LINING PROCESS

Cleaning out rust and corrosion and liningold pipes is a cost-effective and non-intrusiveway to add many years of service life to old castiron pipes. The contractor first chooses loca-tions for access pits at key points about 1,000feet apart, or at bends along the length of thepipe. These excavations are generally 10 by 20feet in size allowing equipment to be loweredinto and pushed through the pipelines. Theworkers cut and remove a section of pipe, about12 feet long, so they can insert a mechanicalscraper in the pipe to clean it. The scraper hasa series of spring-loaded metal blades that liter-ally scrape old buildup from the walls of thecast iron pipe. The workers winch the scraperrepeatedly – until the walls are clean – fromone access pit to another. Then they put a cir-

WATER

WHAT IS THE BOSTON LOW

SERVICE NETWORK?If you live in South Boston, Downtown or

the Back Bay, and your house is on land lessthan 25 feet above sea level, you’re probablysupplied from the Boston Low ServiceNetwork. The entire network is operated bygravity pressure provided by large coveredtanks in Weston, where water is stored 200feet above sea level. Ocean-front homes havea “head” of 200 feet of water pressure, whilethose on higher ground have proportionatelyless pressure. MWRA’s 40 water service cus-tomer communities in Greater Boston areserved by a total of eight hydraulic serviceareas, each based on ground elevation, so thateveryone has a “head” of water pressure noless than 100 feet and no more than 200 feet.

BEDFORD

LYNNFIELD

WINCHESTER

ARLINGTON

WAKEFIELD

MALDEN

REVERE

WINTHROP

Boston Harbor

MEDFORD

WOBURNSAUGUS

LYNN SWAMPSCOTT

MARBLEHEAD

NAHANT

PEABODY

WORCESTER

CHICOPEE

SOUTH HADLEY FIRE DISTRICT #1

LEOMINSTER

CLINTON

NORTHBOROUGH

MARLBOROUGH

SOUTHBOROUGHNEEDHAM

LEXINGTON

WALTHAM

NORWOOD

NEWTON

CANTON

QUINCY

MILTON

BOSTON

Source Water Reservoirs and Watersheds

Walnut Hill Water Treatment Plant

WILBRAHAM

Cosgrove Aqueduct

Wachusett Aqueduct

BROOKLINE

BELMONT

CAMBRIDGESOMERVILLE

CHELSEA

EVERETT

MELROSE

STONEHAM

WATERTOWNWESTON

FRAMINGHAM

Quabbin WaterTreatment Plant

Nash HillCovered Storage

Loring RoadCovered Storage

Blue HillsCoveredStorage

Fells ReservoirCovered Storage

Weston Aqueduct (backup)

A 17.6-mile, deep-rock tunnel is under construction providing a much needed second transmission line to supplement the aging Hultman Aqueduct. The Hultman will be temporarily taken out of service andrehabilitated.

MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel

Quabbin Aqueduct

Hultman Aqueduct

MetroWest Tunnel

SudburyAqueduct (backup)

Norumbega ReservoirCovered Storage

Quabbin ReservoirWatershed

Quabbin Reservoir

Ware River WatershedWare River Watershed

Wachusett Reservoir

Distribution Pipes UpgradePipes must not degrade water quality because bacteria growth and rust have built up on interior pipe walls. MWRA is rehabilitating its distribution network of larger pipes leading to the community systems. Pipelines are either replaced orlined with cement after a thorough cleaning. MWRA is also providing financial assistance to cities and towns for rehabilitation of local water systems.

Proper Water Treatment

New water treatment facilities for the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs will improve drinking water quality and ensure compliance with drinking water standards. The Walnut Hill plant will provide disinfection by ozonation and chloramination and corrosion control treatment to protect pipes and pipelines.

Covered Distribution Storage Existing uncovered distribution reservoirs are vulnerable to airbornecontaminants and allow the growth of bacteria, plants and algae. Five open distribution storage reservoirs are being replaced by concrete tanks for covered storage.

miles

0 5 10

Watershed protection and management are the foundations of good water quality. Programs are underway for continued land acquisition, sewer system improvements in bordering communities and bird and wildlife controls.

Watershed Protection

THE PIPES IN THE BOSTON LOW SERVICE NETWORK WERE LAID BETWEEN

1848 AND 1908. BREAKS IN THESE OLD PIPES CAN CAUSE SERVICE TO

BE DISRUPTED AND PAVEMENT TO COLLAPSE.

cular piece of plywood with dense foam rubberaround the perimeter to clean the pipe of loosematerial. This process can also be done usingwater to clean the pipe or to push the scraperthrough the pipe.

After the pipes have been cleaned, the con-tractor prepares to reline them. The pipe jointsare resealed and tested to make sure they won’tleak. Then the contractor sprays a cement mor-tar lining on the inside of the pipe. This isdone by a spray-lining machine. The liningoffers a smooth surface for the water flow andinhibits rust from forming within the pipe thatcould affect the taste, smell or color of thewater. The rehabilitated pipe is ready to beflushed out, disinfected and restored to activeservice.

This project also includes replacing valvesthat control water flow and can be used todivert flow in case of breaks. The contractor isconstructing access pits to reach these valvesand replace them to ensure maximum, efficientoperation of the system.

SCHEDULE

Construction on the third project phase beganin late summer 2000 and will continue throughJuly 2003. MWRA staff will work with the con-tractor to minimize public impacts during thisperiod. Construction will be organized toaccommodate school schedules, holiday shop-ping and other special events.

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MWRA offers a wide variety of informa-tional materials on the region’s water andsewer systems and the natural environ-ment. To find out what’s available, visitour website at www.mwra.com, or contactthe Public Information Unit, MWRA, 100First Avenue, Boston, MA 02129.

Questions about the project should bedirected to MWRA’s Jeff McLaughlin orHoward Hughes who can be reached at (617) 788-1170 or by e-mail:Jeffrey.McLaughlin@mwra.state.ma.usHoward.Hughes@mwra.state.ma.us.

Old water pipes in MWRA andcommunity systems can create taste,odor and rusty-water problems forcustomers resulting from buildup ofdeposits in corroded pipes. As partof a long-range program to rehabili-tate 200 miles of pipeline, MWRAhas a target of completing 7-10 milesof pipeline rehabilitation work eachyear.

Rehabilitating and replacing oldwater pipes is an essential part ofMWRA’s Integrated Water SupplyImprovement Program. MWRA pro-vides interest-free loans for commu-nity projects involving water pipelinerehabilitation. Other elements of the10-year program include:

• Comprehensive watershed protection;

• A major new deep-rock aque-duct, the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel, to assure continuous and reliable water transmission to communities;

• Projects in the distribution system – including pipeline rehabilitation and new covered storage facilities – to protect water quality; and

• Construction of modern treat-ment facilities for enhancing water quality.

To maintain a safe level of serviceMWRA will continue to protectwatersheds and reservoirs, maintainthe distribution system and provideproper treatment of its water. MWRAis committed to protecting the sourceand improving the water deliverysystem as well as maintaining andoperating wastewater treatment facili-ties that protect the environment.

MASSACHUSETTS WATER

RESOURCES AUTHORITY

The Massachusetts Legislature createdMWRA in 1984 to upgrade, operate andmaintain the regional water supply andsewerage treatment system. This systemserves 2.5 million people and 5,500 busi-nesses in 61 communities. MWRA’s mis-sion includes:

(1) building and operating new facilities to improve wastewater transport, treatment and discharge;

(2) modernizing an antiquated waterworks system to meet new water quality stan-dards and to improve supply reliability.

MWRA supplies about 260 million gal-lons of clean drinking water per day tocommunities through 400 miles of tunnels,aqueducts and pipes. MWRA transports370 million gallons per day of wastewatercollected from communities through 228miles of sewers.

WATER PIPE

AFTER CLEANING

AND LINING.MWRA INTEGRATED WATER SUPPLY

IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM