Project Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was another hot, muggy, stormy month in Westfield with crews working towards demolition of the slow sand filters and complete critical infrastructure to keep the plant running during demolition. Some of this summer’s progress is obvious in the landscape, other developments are hidden underground. Above, crews are removing soil from the top of slow sand filter #18. Tie-in #4, part 1 is complete! Tie-ins are allowing existing treatment to continue during construction by re-r

June was another busy month of construction at the West Parish Filters plant, this time with less rain, but higher temperatures. Our hardworking construction team made steady progress establishing critical tie-ins to keep the water treatment process flowing during demolition of the old slow sand filters. Here’s a look at what it takes to build, connect, these massive pipes. At the beginning of the month, crews fabricated the pipe for tie-in #3. This involved pipe-fitting at a

If this landscape looks lush and green, that’s because it seemed to rain constantly in May in Westfield. We’re working through it, pushing to complete tie-ins before the summer heat arrives. May was a month of painstaking progress, focused on tie-ins. These critical connections are what will keep drinking water flowing during the next couple of years of construction. Once these lines are in service, we will be one step further towards demolishing the old slow sand filters and

Construction activities started to pick up even further in April. Here’s some highlights from the field… Crews relocated the process water pipes, Modified existing hydraulic control structure for tie-in #2, Started installing line stops for the transmission main tie-ins, and Welded HDPE pipe for temporary transmission mains. Construction crews are working on a series of tie-ins to the existing water mains, including rerouting the pipe that runs through the slow sand filters t

While we prepare for the construction of the New West Parish Water Treatment Plant, the show must go on at the existing West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant. Proactive improvements are being made in-house to ensure that reliable service for our customers is never interrupted during construction. Staff at West Parish Filters work on repairing troughs and concrete in a rapid sand filter bed. Enhancements by SWSC Water Operations Staff The Commission’s dedicated Water Opera

Spring may be in the air now, but bitter cold temperatures and icy conditions in February created a formidable working climate at the West Parish site. Workers excavating at the north embankment of the 1920s slow sand filters faced overnight temperatures in the teens and daytime highs in the 20s, plus sleet and snow. It’s not easy to dig through four feet of frost in the ground, but crews nevertheless worked through each day (and sometimes night!) to keep the project on sche

When building a new water treatment plant adjacent to a century-old facility that’s still in operation, a solid Maintenance of Plant Operations (MOPO) plan is paramount to project success. Most of what’s happening on site this month is part of ensuring that the old West Parish Filters continue to operate without interruption while upgrades are made over the next several years. Above: An excavator and wheel loader fly in oak tracking mats to create a temporary road for heavy

Snow falls on West Parish Filters in December 2024 (view from Granville Road) Don’t let these scenes of snowy stillness from earlier in...

To say we are grateful for the year we’ve had at the Commission would be an understatement. After years of hard work and planning, we...

Notice anything special about these perfectly formed flying shovelfuls of “dirt” at our groundbreaking celebration on October 16? That’s...

After 10 years of planning & design, the Commission celebrated breaking ground on the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant.