PRESS RELEASE

Project underway to repair and rehabilitate New England city’s aging wastewater infrastructure; some pipeline as old as 100 years

City of New Britain contracts with Green Mountain Pipeline Services to employ trenchless technology designed to extend the life of the sanitary sewer system and thereby protect public health

[October 2018 – New Britain, Connecticut]: Here’s a question most of us rarely think about: Where does the water go when you flush?

We’re fortunate in this country to have modern conveniences and systems that allow us to live without having to worry about the answer to that question. Unless something goes wrong, that is.

Like in many municipalities across the Northeast and around the country, it’s what happens between the moment you flush and the time that the wastewater makes it all the way to the wastewater treatment plant that’s causing concern in the City of New Britain, Connecticut.

That’s because the sanitary sewer collection system – that is, the underground sewer pipeline, manholes, and other wastewater infrastructure – is more than 100 years old in some places, having been built in the early 1900s, 20s, and 30s. The useful life of a pipeline is typically only about half that.

“In New Britain, the sanitary sewer collection system consists of more than 209 miles of sewer pipeline, some as deep as 20 or 30 feet. That’s over 1 million feet of pipe ranging from 8-inch pipes to 48-inch brick sewers, built by hand,” said Ray Esponda, PE, ME, deputy director of public works, utility division.

“The system also consists of manholes and laterals – the pipes that connect to dwellings, offices, and other buildings,” he explained.

Aging pipelines can have cracks, open or leaking joints, and other defects that impact the wastewater making it to The Mattabassett District’s Water Pollution Control Facility in Cromwell, where strict guidelines set by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection must be met for treating the water – an average of 12 to 21 million gallons per day.

Treated water is then discharged into the Connecticut River and eventually ends up in Long Island Sound.

“We have a responsibility to our citizens and our environment. That’s why the City of New Britain is investing in the upgrade of key areas of our infrastructure, which will provide many more years of useful life and make the waters of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound healthier,” said Esponda.

The project is being accomplished without putting a shovel in the ground. The City’s consulting engineering firm, CDM Smith, put together the bid documents and awarded a contract to Green Mountain Pipeline Services.

Founded in 2003 and based in Bethel, Vermont, GMPS is utilizing no-dig techniques to perform the pipeline and manhole repair and rehabilitation.

“Green Mountain Pipeline Services specializes in trenchless technology,” said Tim Vivian, the company president. “That is, the majority of pipes is being repaired with a method that avoids the disruption of excavation.”

Vivian said they bypass the sanitary sewer flow and install a cured-in-place liner in the old pipe, a method known in the industry as CIPP (cured-in-place pipeline).“Once it’s in place, we inject steam through the pipe to cure, or harden, the resin. This forms a new structural pipe within the existing pipe.”

“The sanitary sewer pipelines are the lifeblood of the City’s health system,” said Esponda. “Just like a person’s veins carrying blood throughout the body, the sanitary sewer pipelines are running under the streets in New Britain, 24/7/365. This project is one that will extend the life of our infrastructure for many years to come.”

The work is currently underway and is expected to be completed in November.

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MORE ABOUT GREEN MOUNTAIN PIPELINE SERVICES

Founded in 2003, Green Mountain Pipeline Services offers a wide range of pipeline inspection and rehabilitation services using trenchless technology. This includes closed circuit TV inspection of mainlines and laterals; cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) mainline and lateral lining, plus trenchless spot repairs; grouting of mainlines, manholes and laterals; manhole/structure cementitious lining and reconstruction, with epoxy as needed; pipeline/structure cleaning and vacuuming; and smoke testing, manhole inspections, dye testing and flow isolation.

Due to the increasing demand for services, Green Mountain Pipeline Services is expanding its workforce, with immediate job openings for laborers and technicians, with training provided. Job applications are available on the company website at www.greenmountainpipe.com. Reach Green Mountain Pipeline Services at 802-763-7022 or info@greenmountainpipe.com.

Headquartered at 768 South Main St., Unit 1, in Bethel, Vermont, GMPS is a subsidiary of Infrastructure Services Group LLC, which acquires and funds profitable and well-positioned private companies that specialize in water and wastewater pipeline and manhole inspection, maintenance and rehabilitation. ISG recognizes that aging water and wastewater infrastructure systems are being further challenged by the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events, increasing demand for rehab and repair.

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