Gardner project will replace a water pipe that dates to 1880s

Nov 05, 2024

A project is underway in Gardner to replace a critical water main that dates back over 140 years and provides water to over three quarters of the city.

The $1 million project, which is funded through the Congressional Directed Spending program, will replace the water transmission main that connects the city's water treatment plant at Crystal Lake to the water tanks atop James St. and Reservoir Hill. These tanks then supply water to both the elevated storage tank on Rte. 140 and to the full city of Gardner.

The project, which officials called a significant step toward safeguarding the community's water supply, will involve the installation of a new 21,000-foot-long, 16-inch ductile iron water main, which is one of two that carries about 1,500 gallons of water per minute between the treatment plant and the two 2-million-gallon tanks on Reservoir Hill, according to City Engineer Rob Oliva.

"As far as we know, (the aging pipe) is still in good condition, but being that it's over 100 years old, it's prudent to replace it," he said.

"Since that pipe was first installed, 25 individuals have been elected President of the United States, 11 states have joined the United States, women gained the right to vote, and, put simply, the world has changed- but yet we still rely on that single pipe for one of the most vital services we provide to our residents," said Mayor Michael Nicholson at a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday.

While the city maintains the South Gardner Snake Pond Well as a backup for the system, the water supplied by the transmission main to the Reservoir Hill storage tanks acts as the main source of water for the entire city, Nicholson said.

More:Winchendon scrambles for funds to repair main water pipeline before it fails

The second water pipe was installed in the 1970s, Oliva said.

"It's still old but hopefully in good condition and, being it's a redundant system, we're safe," he said.

The deterioration of the pipe being replaced was first noted following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, when the federal government conducted a review of vulnerabilities in cities and towns across the nation. The final report, published in 2004, cited the age of the pipe and the possibility of a break cutting off the water supply to the entire community as one of the city's greatest vulnerabilities. Officials authorized the installation of a liner in the pipe as a temporary repair following the report.

More:Gardner turns attention to recent rash of water main breaks

In discussing the importance of the project, Nicholson noted the impact of a water main break that took place at the Uptown Rotary in August 2021, calling the situation a "nightmare" by explaining that the majority of city was about three hours away from running out of water.

“We simply couldn’t shut the water off," he said. "All of the valves in the area were so old, that they had rusted open and eventually crews had to cut into the active pipe to install a new valve just to shut the water off and fix the break. This project helps make it so that we never have to deal with that again."

Crews will work during the colder weather and the project is expected to be completed within a couple of months, according to Oliva.

Motorists should expect minor traffic delays along Heywood Street at the intersections of Heywood Street and Green Street during construction.