February brought a lot of snow to West Parish Filters. But amid the drifts, crews made progress on installing operator valve stems for new transmission pipelines, modifications to the Backwash Facility, and replacing old stormwater infrastructure. From clay to corrugated South of the existing treatment plant, crews excavated the old drainage pipes at “DMH 104,” or drainage manhole 104, to upgrade the site’s stormwater system. That meant removing existing clay pipe and replaci

Black insulating blankets thaw the ground overnight. In January, we put our newly installed raw water pipelines to bed, section by section. First, workers dug out the snow and thawed the pipes using a combination of ground thaw units and jumbo insulating blankets. Workers arranged hoses from a unit heater across the ground, circulating glycol, and then draped blankets over them. This is typical prep for concrete placements in the winter, where the surface needs to be at least

In February, Christina Jones took the helm as the new Director of Water Operations at West Parish Filters. Christina has a BS in Civil & Environmental Engineering, a Masters in Environmental Engineering, and holds a Treatment 4 license and Distribution 4 operator-in-training license. Christina has worked with the Commission since 2020 under former Director Jim Laurila to learn the intricacies of the plant and set up a Water Operations team focused on teamwork and public servi

The Commission shared information at recent board meetings regarding the identification of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found during the demolition of the existing West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant.  See below for answers to some frequently asked questions. What Happened? Contractors working on demolition of the existing West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant identified PCBs in an older (1966) section of the facility. PCBs are common in construction materials d

As we build the modern New West Parish Treatment Plant, our crews also must carry on their day-to-day duties to deliver daily drinking water to 250,000 people. Working within a system that was originally designed in the early 1900s means some of those duties have remained in place for decades, lending credence to the old adage, “Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.” From Hay to Lanterns The 42-inch transmission main, constructed in 1909, runs from West Parish Filters to

It was a snowy start to winter in Westfield. Despite the snow and holidays, construction crews still made progress on our new plant. Crews continued placing and installing two new raw water pipes through December. One pipefitter was tasked with climbing inside the 60” pipe to “parge” or seal the seams with concrete. Backfilling the newly installed raw water pipeline before the next snowfall. Indoors, we made progress with optimizing the new Backwash Facility. Specifically, we

Despite the cold temperatures outside, it’s the start of spring—or at least the spring semester. As the semester gets underway, students enrolled in the Basic Drinking Water Treatment Training Course are beginning their coursework. Offered virtually through Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) in partnership with the Massachusetts Water Works Association (MWWA), the course participants include several scholarship recipients as part of the Commission’s Drinking Water

At the end of January, Jim Laurila closed out a 40-year career in public service, the last ten served as the Director of Water Operations at West Parish Filters. Upon Jim’s arrival he led two major facility assessments of the treatment plant, which ultimately resulted in the design and construction of the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant. Here in his own words, Jim reflects on his influential career at West Parish and the Commission, and what he sees for the future.   On

The Upper Lagoon at West Parish Filters The Lagoons at West Parish Filters The Lagoon Cleaning Project kicked off in summer 2025. Two lagoons play a critical role in the filter backwash (or cleaning) process of the existing water treatment system at West Parish Filters. During backwashing, water flows upward through the rapid sand filters to clean the filter media of the natural organic materials and other residuals that the treatment process removes from drinking water. The

While work continues on the new treatment plant, some other critical projects are also underway at West Parish Filters. The largest of those is the 42-inch Transmission Main Energy Dissipation Valve and Raw Water Conveyance Improvement Project (or “42”” for short). A complete energy dissipating valve assembly The project includes the repair of a two-mile segment of the 42” raw water transmission main that conveys water from Cobble Mountain Reservoir, and its associated energy

With construction of the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant underway, the Commission’s educational tours at the existing West Parish Filters have been limited but certainly not paused. In late November, we were thrilled to welcome two groups, Westfield State University environmental science students, and students and educators from the Holyoke Community College Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program. Even amidst construction, these tours offered a un

Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission is pleased to announce it has received $16.9 million in loan forgiveness from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Drinking Water Revolving Fund for its new West Parish Water Treatment Plant.  The loan forgiveness is tied to a $65,000,000 competitive low-interest loan awarded to the Commission for the project in 2024, when it was the top-ranked drinking water project on the Clean Water Trust’s

Recently we shared a story about an inoperable century-old valve that was critical to diverting flow around the site of the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant. It was Mike Townsley who managed to machine a new gear assembly to open the valve and keep the project on track.  Mike Townsley has been part of the Commission since 2008, starting at West Parish Filters before transferring in 2011 as Assistant Resident Manager of Provin Mountain, which is located in Agawam. Provi

During the month of October, crews focused on continuing the excavation south of the existing treatment plant and preparing for the installation of the raw water pipelines that will supply Commission customers now into the future. These two enormous concrete-lined steel pipes will carry water to the new water treatment plant from the new Energy Dissipation Valve (or EDV) that’s nearing completion. The EDV is located at the Sedimentation Basin, which is currently where 40 mill

For over a century, chlorine has been central to drinking water treatment in the United States. Its introduction in 1908 in Jersey City and Chicago revolutionized public health, drastically reducing waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid. Chlorination is often cited by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization as one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20 th century. But as our understanding of

Now that tie-ins are complete, the excavation area that has been a muddy construction site for months has been neatly backfilled and reseeded with grass. The service road at Gate 3, a road that’s important for operations, has been paved and reopened. Meanwhile, excavation has begun for the permanent 60” pipe and 72” pipes that will carry raw water from the new Energy Dissipation Valve (or EDV) chamber to the new treatment plant. Above, an excavator is stripping overburden sou

In August the first four critical transmission main tie-ins were completed. Treated water is now being rerouted around the project site. This was an important step to complete before the contractor could begin demolishing the slow sand filters. The construction crew completed the final connections to a new bypass pipe to re-route water around the new water treatment plant site. In order to minimize the amount of time that the transmission main would be offline, the crew worke

As the new West Parish WTP construction advances, we are learning how fortunate we are to have a skilled and committed Water Operations staff, who combine their expertise with creativity to step up when challenges arise.  Recently, that expertise was put to the test with Valve 215, a 100-year-old, 36-inch gate valve. This valve was central to recent efforts to re-route transmission mains around the old slow sand filters to allow for continuous treatment while the new plant is

Over the past several days, the Commission has been celebrating Source Water Protection Week (Sept. 29-Oct. 4) to appreciate and raise...

On Friday, August 22, 2025, Water Operations staff gathered at West Parish Treatment Plant to give a final farewell to the slow sand...