ASHLAND — The replacement of old valves at the Ashland Area Municipal Authority reservoir in Butler Township this spring will finish the last major part of the upgrade project.
The valve replacement project was discussed by the authority board and Alfred Benesch & Co. senior designer Natalie L. O’Connor at Monday’s meeting.
The water authority is near the end of a reservoir upgrade project mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The main task was raising the dam breast by 5 feet so it can better handle major storm events by having water flow through the spillway rather than over the dam walls, which increases safety to communities downstream of the dam.
The replacement of the valves was not part of the original project, but was added as directed by DEP.
“We anticipate the underwater work begin in the spring, so we waiting for the diver,” O’Connor told the board in her monthly report. “The dam is currently overflowing. We had an inspector out on Friday reading piezometers.”
A piezometer is a device that measures the pressure of groundwater at a specific point. Due to the recent snow and cold, DEP approved the suspension of readings until the weather changed. The weekly piezometer readings have resumed.
“Once we get the upstream closures fixed, we’ll work on the downstream closures,” O’Connor said. “If you remember, DEP is requiring us to fix those valves. Back in November we gave DEP a plan with the configuration of the valves and they have approved that configuration.”
O’Connor said the general contractor, KC Construction Co., is seeking approval to perform exploratory work inside the valve house.
“The existing reducers are embedded in the wall and need to be exposed in order for them (KC) to obtain accurate information to provide a price,” she said. “They would perform the work on a time and materials basis and include all costs in the change order.”
Board President Francis Menne asked about the cost for the exploratory work, with O’Connor replying that it would be between $6,000 and $7,000, which would be part of the change order that will include the valve and piping replacement.
“The overall cost we’re not really sure yet, but it might be around $75,000 to $100,000,” O’Connor said. “That’s to replace all those really big valves in the valve house. What DEP approved was put in two new 20-inch valves, an access so we can get a camera in there at a later date, a new 14-inch valve, and get rid of some of the old valves and have a straight pipe. It will be a lot cleaner, less mechanical failures.”
The valve project will be paid through funds that Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority has reimbursed the authority when the project was being planned.
“With the first PennVEST application, the authority was reimbursed just over $250,000, and I recommended that the money should be left in an account for a rainy day in case we needed it,” O’Connor said. “The partial rainy day has come, so we have the funds to pay for this project.”
“We got reimbursed for ‘soft costs,’ ” authority solicitor S. John Price said. “At the beginning of the loan, we had already put out a quarter of a million dollars, more or less, for the soft costs — engineering fees, legal fees, and so forth. We’re still within budget and we still have money to pay for the project.”
The AAMA board approved a motion to have KC Construction begin the exploratory work.