New $250,000 waterline installation project in Upper Burrell won’t stop traffic, will improve water

An upcoming waterline project in Upper Burrell along Bethesda Drive and a small portion of White Cloud Road won’t inconvenience residents, but will improve the water quality and flow, according to a water authority official.

The Municipal Authority of New Kensington is planning the $250,000 project this spring to provide better flow and meet new state water quality standards for residents along Bethesda Drive and a small portion of White Cloud Road, said Jim Matta, general manager for the authority.

The new lines will be installed alongside the two roads in the grass berm, Matta said.

“We’re trying to keep the water main on the berm and not damage the roads because it’s less expensive and shouldn’t disturb traffic,” he said.

Upper Burrell Supervisors Chairman Ross Walker was happy to hear about the project.

“It will only be a temporary inconvenience for some resident but offer a permanent improvement, and it needs to be done,” he said.

The project was necessary to meet new regulatory standards requiring water plants to increase chlorine levels in drinking water, Matta said. The state Department of Environmental Protection issued the new drinking water regulation last year.

DEP raised the required level of chlorine in drinking water to better protect the public from bacteria, according to goErie.com. The action was part of a nationwide trend to enact more stringent drinking water standards since high levels of lead circulated in the drinking water of Flint, Mich.

The authority has been adding the additional chlorine to the water, but additional flow is needed to push the chlorine to the farthest reaches of the northern end of the authority’s system, which is in Upper Burrell’s Bethesda Drive area, he said.

“By interconnecting the new lines, that will increase the flow of water and will provide the correct amount of chlorine,” he said.