Water System Infrastructure Repair
The city of Schenectady, NY takes great pride in maintaining a quality water system. A testament to that fact is that it won the 2009 New York State Drinking Water Taste Test. Over 150 other communities competed to win the coveted title. The New York State Commissioner of Health stated “The residents who live in the City of Schenectady should be proud that their water is considered the best-tasting in New York State.” Keeping up this high level of quality is no easy task as some of the pipes in the infrastructure date back to 1870. TEAM Industrial Services was contracted to supply its patented InsertValve™ for 60 different valves providing the city with valve control and the ability to replace portions of the infrastructure as funding became available.
The city of Schenectady’s aging water-system infrastructure includes portions of pipe that date back to 1870. The Water Superintendent for the city keeps a close eye on the system with a solid plan to keep up with repairs and infrastructure replacement. The problem was the number of man-hours and work orders that were needed to keep up with the repairs was daunting and costly. In order to complete the repairs, they were shutting down and draining the system. That meant shutting down 30 to 40 valves. During the process an average of 1 out of 10 valves would break. Once the city repaired the broken valve, they would then notify the state of the repair and prepare water samples for testing to ensure water quality was maintained. Additionally, the repairs would create a cross connection, introducing air into the line. A couple of days later that air would find a lead joint and create a leak, requiring the city to dig up that intersection to repair the main. Meters would then have to be cleaned out due to debris loosing and fouling the water meters. Needless to say, another solution was greatly needed and replacing the entire infrastructure was not in the budget.
The city's Water Superintendent, Dave Jegabbi, researched and tested several repair options. The high quality and functionality of TEAM’s InsertValve™ impressed the Schenectady team as well as the New York State Section of the AWWA, a non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of water quality and supply.
TEAM's InsertValve™ installed by certified installer, Vellano Bros., provided the city of Schenectady with valve control and the valve’s Capital Improvement Connection enabled the city to replace portions of the infrastructure as funds became available. According to Water Superintendent, Dave Jegabbi, "It is the best insurance you can buy. TEAM has provided 60 valves that were installed in strategic locations around the city over the past two years. In the past, we would try to close as many valves as possible to isolate a problem valve and during the valve closing process, we would create more work orders because more valves would break or the packing would not seal. Installing the TEAM InsertValve has reduced our number of work orders, allowing us to continue supplying our city's residents with quality water."
To find out more about how the InsertValve™ can be used for your application contact TEAM today.
