Water Street Sewer Replacement Project
Using innovation to Repair our aging sewer system
Project Update: October 25, 2024
Water Street Sewer: Equipment Staging Starting mid-December, Construction Starts January 2025
Project contact:
Andre Harper
aharper@cityofpt.us
(360) 385-5088
Project Overview
The Water Street sewer main line, in the vicinity of Water and Grant Streets, collapsed in December 2022 requiring an emergency repair, and collapsed again near the ferry terminal intersection in September 2024. After the initial break in 2022, the City began applying for grants and low interest loans to fund a sewer main replacement. The Water Street Sewer Replacement project is a $2.7M project scheduled to begin in January 2025 with approximately 8 – 10 weeks of construction. Equipment staging will begin mid-December. The project will rectify a decades-old issue common to asbestos concrete pipe, which deteriorates to mush when exposed to gases from sewage.
The project will extend the City’s existing Monroe Lift Station force main approximately 1,850 feet using an innovative method called “horizontal directional drilling,” or HDD. You can watch an informative video about HDD, using this link. This method of construction is commonly used to install pipe in areas not amenable to open trench construction, including environmentally sensitive areas and main thoroughfares like Water Street. The City will also replace approximately 1,830 feet of existing gravity sewer main via “slip lining,” which is the process of inserting a smaller pipe into the failing larger pipe.
The work is being planned for minimal impact and has been scheduled during a slower traffic season for Port Townsend and may require temporary road closures with a detour along Washington Street. Site work will include traffic control and noise mitigation. Questions regarding the Water Street Sewer Replacement Project should be directed to Project Manager Andre Harper, aharper@cityofpt.us.
Images of sewer pipe failure in September 2024
1. Initial discovery of sink hole at the ferry terminal.
2. Crews make quick work of a temporary stabilization and fix.
Project Schedule & Construction Notices
Look back for details in December 2024 / January 2025.
Find the Request for Bid Proposals here: https://cityofpt.us/rfps
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
City Council: Staff Presentation for the Emergency Repair of Water Street Sewer September 2024
City Council: Staff Presentation Authorizing $2.7 Million for Water Street Sewer Repair May 2023
City Council: Staff Presentation on the Water Street Sewer Main Break December 2022
Press Release: Sewer Main Break and Road Closure December 2022
General Sewer Plan Information
