The City of Lawrence and its on-call excavation contractor N. Granese and Sons will be conducting emergency sewer repairs at the intersection of Hampshire Street and Myrtle Street. This work is scheduled to start on Monday, November 9, 2015. Construction is anticipated to last approximately 3 to 4 weeks.
As part of the City’s Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Program, drainage investigations and dye testing will be conducted over the next few weeks throughout the City. Field crews will be performing camera investigation and dye testing of storm drains to ensure proper connections to the storm drain system.During these investigations, City representatives may need access to a sink or toilet inside your property to perform a dye test to ensure your sanitary service is properly connected.
Dye Testing
During dye testing, the City representative will enter your building and flush a small amount of water containing a non-toxic, non-staining dye down the drain and monitor the storm drain pipes in the street. The dye testing should take no longer than 10 minutes.
Dye testing will be conducted by the City’s engineering consultant Woodard and Curran Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. unless otherwise scheduled with the owner. Field technicians will carry proper identification; do not allow anyone into your home without proper identification. If you are not home during dye testing, the field crew will leave a notice at your property with a telephone number for you to call and make an appointment.
As part of the City’s ongoing sewer system investigation program, sewer manhole inspections will be conducted over the next few months throughout the City. Field crews will be performing visual assessments of sewer manholes from the ground surface to evaluate the general condition of the manholes and identify defects for further analysis or repair. These inspections will require the temporary removal of manhole covers, and may require brief access to properties where manholes are located in easements. Field crews will primarily be working between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., during which time you may notice the following:
Traffic impacts
Increased noise
Odors from work in the sewers
2015 Water Main Rehabilitation Project
The Water and Sewer Department is committed to improving the water service it provides to its customers, through a series of water main rehabilitation projects throughout the City. In 2015, we plan on replacing or cleaning and lining a number of pipe segments that represent the areas that are in most need for improved water quality and/or fire-fighting capacity.
This map provides an overview of ongoing water main rehabilitation work for the City of Lawrence. The blue lines represent work that was conducted in 2014; the red lines represent work that is being conducted in 2015; the green lines represent work to be conducted in the next couple of years. Please see this overview map (PDF).
Before
After
Overview of 2015 Investigation Target Zones
Sewer Main Inspection/Cleaning
The City of Lawrence has resumed an aggressive sewer system investigation program this spring in order to evaluate the City’s buried infrastructure. Learn more about this project (PDF).
Target Zones
See the maps for more detail on the targeted investigation zones.
Since January 2014, introduction of new lead into a water service is prohibited, and thus, repairs cannot be properly made to existing lead services. Customers with lead pipes cannot participate in the water meter replacement program, and are subject to additional meter reading fees. For these reasons, customers with lead service pipes are encouraged to replace them with new copper pipes.
In 2014, our very first solar panel array went live. At 300kW, this system was designed to offset about 15% of our electrical needs, saving the Department over $100,000 annually! Please see the live solar statistics (allow for about 10-15 seconds between slides).
Lawrence Water System Profiled in Newwa Journal
Last Summer, the New England Water Works Association (NEWWA) reached out to the Lawrence Water & Sewer Department to profile the Department's water system in its September 2014 issue of the Journal. The cover photo shows the Great Stone Dam, located on the Merrimack River, in the heart of the City of Lawrence. Completed in 1848, this dam was built in conjunction with a series of canals to harness the hydropower of the Merrimack and fuel the factories that defined the American landscape at the time of the Industrial Revolution. Drawing from the successes of nearby Lowell, MA, Lawrence originated as a “planned factory city,” growing into a major player in the textile manufacturing industry. Read the entire article.
Sewer Main Smoke Testing
Woodard & Curran, a firm hired by the City of Lawrence, and its subcontractor, Flow Assessment Services, will be conducting smoke testing of the sanitary sewer in your area. The testing is necessary to ensure the proper performance of sewer collection facilities. Learn more about this project. (Español)
2014 Water Main Rehabilitation
The Lawrence Water & Sewer Department will be employing two methods of water main system rehabilitation: water main replacement, and cleaning and lining (C&L). Learn more about this project.