CONNECTICUT WATER SERVICE, INC.
CLINTON, Conn., Jan. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connecticut Water continues to invest in water system infrastructure to deliver safe, dependable drinking water to the customers and communities it serves. In 2017, more than $17 million was invested in replacing aging pipeline. In 2018, the company plans to spend an additional $17.4 million to continue enhancing system reliability with pipe replacement, which also benefits customers and the environment.
Craig C. Patla, Connecticut Water’s vice president of service delivery, stated, “Connecticut Water is at the forefront of investing in replacing aging water mains. The company has replaced more than 118 miles of water main at a cost of more than $139 million since 2008. The pipe replaced had an average age of 75 years. We understand that families and communities depend on our water systems now and will continue to rely on them for safe drinking water, public health and public safety in the future.”
The pipe has been replaced through the Water Infrastructure and Conservation Adjustment (WICA) program. Through WICA, Connecticut Water has replaced approximately 7.5 percent of its distribution system. This is an industry setting pace for investment in the integrity of our infrastructure. The company has a goal to achieve a 100-year replacement cycle for water mains.
Patla also noted that since Christmas Day, Connecticut Water crews have responded to more than 30 water main breaks in its 1,600 miles of water main across Connecticut. He stated, “Undoubtedly there would have been many more breaks if it had not been for pipe already replaced under WICA. We prioritized pipe replacement on a number of factors including its age and history of prior breaks. Older cast-iron pipe is more brittle than current materials and is more susceptible to breaking due to shifting ground caused by the kind of extreme temperature changes we have seen recently.”
In addition to improving reliability and water quality, replacing old pipe reduces lost water from leaks and breaks, reduces the environmental impact of pumping and treating that lost water, and can improve the amount of water available to fire hydrants on the system.
The WICA water main replacement work also creates local construction-related jobs in the company’s service areas. Patla stated, “An analysis done by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development estimates that our investment of more than $17 million in the 2017 WICA program supported 177 jobs in Connecticut. The costs of these projects are covered through modest surcharges on customers’ bills that allow the company to replace aging pipe on a programmatic basis and begin to recover the cost as the new infrastructure is placed in service to serve customers.” Patla further stated, “Our state legislators and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority deserve credit for having the foresight to enable timely infrastructure replacement through a program such as WICA.”
The company recognizes that these investments are ultimately reflected in customers’ rates but considers them essential to ensure that our customers have the water quality and service they deserve.
2017 WICA projects included:
| Community | Project / feet replaced | Status |
| Danielson | Main Street / 3,000 | Ongoing |
| Deep River | Kirtland Street / 2,000 | Complete |
| East Windsor | Route 5 / 5,000 | Complete |
| Hebron | Amston Lake area / 3,000 | Complete |
| Naugatuck | Indian Hills Phase 3 / 6,300 | Complete |
| Plymouth | Main Street / 2,400 | Complete |
Connecticut Water Company is a subsidiary of Connecticut Water Service, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTWS). Through its regulated utility subsidiaries, CTWS serves more than 134,000 water customers, or about 450,000 people in 80 communities across Connecticut and Maine, and more than 3,000 wastewater customers in Southbury, Connecticut. For more information, visit www.ctwater.com.
Contact: Daniel J. Meaney, APR Director of Corporate Communications Connecticut Water Company 860.664.6016 dmeaney@ctwater.com
