Bradford’s ready for the next big water main break.
The Bradford City Water Authority recently completed a remotely controlled reservoir valves project, something that officials said at a meeting Wednesday has significant importance to customers and the community.
“If the authority were to experience a catastrophic water main break that would endanger draining the authority’s stored potable water supply, similar to the one that occurred in February of 2015, these new valves, which have been installed at Reservoir No. 4 and the Kendall Avenue Tank, could be remotely controlled and closed by authority personnel to contain and hold 5.5 million gallons in these two supply sources until necessary repairs or other shut downs within the system could be completed,” authority officials said.
That 2015 water main break left Bradford area without water for several days and forced the shutdown of restaurants. This new project, which cost $140,000, will prevent such an event from happening again, said authority executive director Steve Disney. The work was completed by William T. Spaeder of Erie.
In other authority news, authority officials announced that the fishing pier and canoe launch projects at the Gilbert Reservoir are nearly completed with M&M Contractors of Johnsonburg expected to have the work completed by July 7 depending on the weather.
“We’re very excited that we can offer another attraction. It’s just a pristine area,” Disney said.
That work is costing $108,000 and is funded through the McKean County Conservation District.
Work on the canoe launch at the Marilla Reservoir will begin after the Gilbert Reservoir project is completed.
“Water levels at Marilla will need to be lowered several feet for approximately 30 days to allow foundation installations,” officials said.
Also at the meeting, the authority:
• announced that construction on the 20-inch main line relocation project at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s athletic complex is slated to begin July 5. The work, which is costing $438,355, is expected to take eight weeks to complete. The contractor is Chivers Construction Co. of Fairview.
• approved advertising for bids for the relocation of an 8-inch water main in anticipation for the Big Shanty box culvert bridge replacement project. The bids are expected to be opened July 24.
• approved JCI Jones Chemical Co. of Caledonia, N.Y., providing liquid chlorine at $53.33 per 100 pounds and Univar USA of Altoona supplying caustic soda at $15.25 per 100 pounds.
• approved a capital expenditure in the amount of $44,000 to purchase and install new main line gate valves on West Washington Street between Mechanic and North Bennett streets.
