Project Updates

Clearing the Way for the Next Phase Construction crews made significant progress in August, with the most visible achievement being the removal of debris from the recently demolished Regulator House 3 on the site of the old 1925 slow sand filters. This opens up the site for upcoming underground piping installations and future foundation work. Dump trailers remove the Regulator House 3 demolition debris from the site. These trailers can haul about 30 tons per load. About 10-15

Site Transformation July marked a big milestone for the project: the 1925 slow sand filters have been fully demolished! The construction site is now visibly transformed, with the oldest sand filters gone and about half of the new treatment plant footprint cleared. Slow Sand Filter 10 mid-demolition. Demolition Milestone This month, a major highlight was the demolition of Regulator House 3, a building that historically housed operations for filters 7–10 before newer systems we

For Isa Perez, a career in water started with a passion for science and a desire to make a meaningful impact. Since joining the Commission in 2022, Isa has had an accelerated career path rooted in hard work, curiosity, and a commitment to protecting one of our most important resources—drinking water. Assistant Laboratory and Regulatory Manager Isa Perez pictured in the Commission’s laboratory at the West Parish Filters. Isa joined the Commission as a Laboratory Technician and

Old Infrastructure Comes Down as New Systems Take Shape With major demolition advancing and new infrastructure steadily taking shape, June offered one of the clearest views yet of the plant's early transition from a 100-year-old facility to a modern treatment system. As overheard by one worker on site, "You can really feel the progress around here now.” Sand Filter Demolition Reaches Major Milestones Demolition activity accelerated throughout June. Most of Filters 9 and 10 w

A major reason behind constructing the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant is to address disinfection byproducts, or DBPs. Commission customers received public notices about one type of DBP, known as “HAA5,” again this summer. First, some background: disinfection byproducts were first regulated after the existing West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant was last modernized in 1974. Additional DBP regulations were introduced in 1998 and updated in 2006 for implementation

Construction at the New West Parish site reached a major milestone in May, with visible progress across several areas of the project. Demolition of Historic Filters One of the biggest developments in May is the start of demolition on the old slow sand filters, which date back to 1925. Crews worked on Filters 9 and 10, breaking down the concrete structures piece by piece. This short video shows a hydraulic hammer chipping away at a manhole and portion of the vault ceiling. Th

For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit us at West Parish Filters in the past, you may recognize this area as the first stop on your tour. The 1925 slow sand filters are now seeing daylight for the first time in 101 years! While it is bittersweet to say goodbye to infrastructure that has served us so well, we are excited to start clearing the footprint for the new plant. More to come on the latest construction (and demolition) progress soon.

In April, site activity benefited from warmer weather and focused on three major areas of work: continued installation of the raw water mains, installation of storm drainage infrastructure, and rock removal to support additional pipeline construction. The photo above shows the arrival of the next shipment of 60-inch and 72-inch steel raw water pipe in the background, representing approximately 150 additional feet of the pipeline. One section is being unloaded for placement in

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

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