Water main break in Springfield expected to cost up to $6.5 million to fix - MassLive.com

Water main break in Springfield expected to cost up to $6.5 million to fix - masslive.com

SPRINGFIELD — A massive culvert failure and water main break that resulted in a two-day boil water order here and in Ludlow will cost as much as $6.5 million to repair.

The Sept. 11 storm that dumped an estimated four inches of rain in less than two hours is being blamed for the disaster that caused a 42-inch culvert pipe carrying Abbe Brook to wash out. That failure then resulted in a 36-inch water main rupture in the wooded area behind the Big Y Plaza at 1316 Carew St., said Christopher Cignoli, Department of Public Works director.

The damage, which included areas off St. James and Liberty streets, and a culvert near the Renaissance School on Carew Street, was massive. In one area the erosion was 25 feet deep and toppled trees along the banks of the brook.

“It appears that the stream banks have been scoured and widened over an approximately 1,500 (foot) length from the beginning of the stream behind the Big Y plaza area,” says a report from the Department of Public Works about the break. “The stream area that was previously 20-30 (feet) in width has now widened to 80-100 feet due to the significant erosion that has occurred.”

In addition, five or six other culverts were lost in the flooding, Cignoli said.

Officials first hypothesized hours after the storm that the damage stemmed from a culvert backup. After more investigation, Cignoli said the soil in that area is largely sand, and he believes the constant rains in the lead-up to the Sept. 11 weather event essentially liquified the soil and destabilized the slopes, causing the collapse.

The culvert is believed to be at least 70 years old and the water main was older, dating to 1953, he said.

On Monday, the City Council voted 11-0 to allow the city to deficit spend to make the needed repairs, which are estimated to cost anywhere between $5 and $6.5 million.

Since Springfield declared a state of emergency due to the flooding, Cignoli said the city has applied to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency for disaster aid and is hoping to get a minimum of 80% of the costs of the repairs reimbursed to the city.

“In the aftermath, I’m hoping water and sewer can help,” City Councilor Kateri Walsh said.

Cignoli said the Water and Sewer Commission, which is funded through ratepayer fees, is applying for aid separately from the Emergency Management Agency. For now, that pipe has been shut off and the water has been rerouted so residents still have water service.

“It isn’t our fault, the water break,” Councilor Zaida Govan said. “This can be an ongoing conversation.”

Cignoli said the work to repair the culverts and erosion is expected to take between eight and 10 weeks.

The state is also working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the hopes of receiving assistance for an estimated $50 to $60 million in damage that occurred statewide in the Sept. 11 rainstorm.

The Central Massachusetts city of Leominster was especially hard-hit when between 9 and 11 inches of rain fell in a short period of time, damaging roads, flooding basements and collapsing roofs.