The Bethpage Water District has broken ground on the first phase of a transformative water main project that will enable the District to move significant volumes of water to the southern portions of its distribution system. The installation of a 10,100-foot long, 24-inch diameter transmission main is part of the District plan to connect its BGD water production facility on Plainview Road in the north to the distribution network in the southern end of the service area. The “North to South Transmission Main Project”as it is referred to, represents a more than $7 million investment and is a crucial piece of the District’s long-term strategic plan for developing new water sources outside of the Northrop Grumman/Navy Plume.
“The work never stops here in Bethpage as we are continuously upgrading our infrastructure to ensure our residents received the highest quality water today, tomorrow and always,” said BWD Chairman John Coumatos. “This is a complicated project that has been in the works for quite some time. It is very gratifying to see this piece of the puzzle begin, especially knowing what it means for our ability to deliver water to our customers.”
Water mains are an essential, yet and oftentimes overlooked component of infrastructure. Much like how the veins in the human body work, water mains are responsible for delivering water to residents’ homes throughout the District’s service territory. They range in size—from 24 inches down to four inches—and the wider the diameter of the pipe, the more water can be moved through it. A 24-inch water main, which is being installed at part of this project, is among the largest diameter of pipes in the District and is capable of moving more than 5,400 gallons of water every minute.
“There is a direct correlation between water main and water pressure. By connecting this significantly sized main to the southern portion of our service territory, we can ensure adequate pressures in the system even though the source of the water is from a couple of miles away,” said BWD Commissioner Teri Black. “This project has been years in the making, but once completed, will make our distribution system more resilient while also improving upon our already high-quality water.”
For the past several months, the District has been working closely with the New York State Parks Department to secure the easements needed as portions of the water main will be installed beneath Bethpage State Park during the second phase of construction. Receiving approvals for these easements is crucial to help lower costs and disruptions to roadways in the area. There are still many components of the North to South Transmission Main Project to occur, but the District expects the first phase to be completed this year, and the remainder of the project to be finished by 2023.
“Several years ago, the District implemented a strategic water main replacement plan that focuses on replacing mains that have a history of breaks or those that will be instrumental in moving larger volumes of water throughout the District,” said BWD Commissioner Scott Greco. “I’m proud to be a part of this proactive board of commissioners that is expeditiously moving on plans to develop new water sources away from the Northrop Grumman/Navy Plume. A project like this is another step toward that goal and ensures our infrastructure is capable of meeting an increased water demand while also providing adequate pressure and flow needed to, among other things, fight fires.”
For more information, call the Bethpage Water District at (516) 931-0093 or visit the District website at www.bethpagewater.com