Water has begun flowing through an above-ground system of pipes and hoses to a small segment of the Summit neighborhood in preparation for below-ground work on storm-sewer lines.
Crews from the contractor for the Narragansett Bay Commission have hooked flexible blue hoses from pipes along the street to the outside faucets of residences along portions of Overhill, Bayard, Eighth, Sarah and Brewster between Hope and Sarah. The workers then turned off the main intake valves inside the homes and water flowed into rather than out of the faucets, in effect providing free unmetered service.
The work is one more example of the NBC’s efforts on the Combined Sewer Overflow Program (CSOP), a $500-million-plus project required to meet standards set by the 1972 U.S. Clean Water Act to reduce the overflow of sewage into regional waterways.
Jamie Samons, the NBC public affairs coordinator, said that the water lines are to be used while the in-ground lines are adjusted to accommodate new storm drains. She said that the supplemental system would be moved to follow the construction of the overall project as it progresses.
The work is being done by the John Rocchio Corp., which will answer questions at (401) 949-5565 during regular business hours. In emergencies, residents may call Project Superintendent David Carroll at (401) 338-9028.
A water worker connects a blue hose from the service pipe to the outside faucet of a residence.
