Project Updates

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Drinking Water Program recognized the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission (Commission) at its 40th Annual Drinking Water Awards Day, held during National Drinking Water Week, for its exemplary operation of a complex drinking water system. The Commission received a Regional Recognition award for its proactive advancement of the New West Parish Water Treatment Plant project, which will modernize treatment c

Out With the Old Major construction activity in March focused on excavation to install new stormwater pipes to carry runoff away from the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant. The 24-inch stormwater pipe is the lowest and deepest utility in the area. Our new 60-inch and 72-inch large-diameter mains that convey raw water to the facility will be installed above the stormwater line. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 cubic yards of material were excavated, and the trench reached app

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