$3.2 million regional project will benefit both communities

Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction for an emergency interconnection water line that will serve the Town of Sprague. The unique partnership provides NPU with additional state resources while allowing Sprague to avoid the cost of installing the water line on its own.

“We are very excited begin construction on a project that demonstrates the importance and value of regionalization and cooperation,” said Chris LaRose, Acting General Manager at NPU. “By working with the Town of Sprague, Senator Osten and the Department of Public Health, everyone benefits and our communities have greater access to safe and clean drinking water.”

The project has a budget of $3.2 million and is funded through the Department of Health’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (50% grant, 50% low-interest loan). When complete, the interconnection will have the ability to provide Sprague with up to 60,000 gallons of water a day in an emergency.

Under the agreement, NPU is installing a foot water main from the Norwich into Sprague to serve as an emergency interconnection to the town’s water system. In consideration for this investment, NPU receives a significantly higher reimbursement from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Public Health for a number of other water projects already underway.

By supporting the Sprague project, NPU is eligible for 30% grant funding to support a number of projects instead of the typical 8%; these projects include:

• $7 million upgrade at the Stony Brook Water Treatment Plant
• $2 million to upgrade the water filtration system at the Deep River Water Treatment Plant
• $5.4 million to upgrade the transmission main from the Stony Brook Water Treatment Plant
• $850,000 for a new mixing and aeration system at the Occum Water Tank.

Next week, NPU will begin the process of installing 9,700 feet of ductile iron piping in a 5.5 foot deep trench alone Baltic Road (Route 97) from the Occum area of Norwich into Sprague (in the vicinity of the town-owned softball field).

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of November. Haluch Water Contracting of Ludlow, MA is the contractor for the project, working under the direction of NPU.

Throughout the construction, flaggers will assist with traffic control along Route 97 and at the end of each work day, pavement will be installed to minimize dust and to maintain close to normal traffic flows over night and on weekends.