Perry completes loop system to resolve longtime New Haven water access issues
The City of Perry recently completed the last phase of a solution to water access issues that have affected the New Haven and Stonebridge communities for years.
The East Perry neighborhoods had at least 14 water main pipe breaks in the past few years which repeatedly caused residents to lose access to water and follow boil water advisories.
The issue stemmed from the city installing a less commonly used type of plastic pipe in the two subdivisions. The city installed C-200 plastic pipes in the neighborhoods in 2012 and 2013 and soon switched back to installing standard C-900 plastic pipes at future developments.
In the past few months, the City of Perry installed an additional feed point of water, added a master meter and added a pressure reducing valve to “loop” the system in the area.
“By looping the water system, we have dual feeds where we have water coming from two directions – one from the west off Gurr Road and another feed coming from Stonebridge into New Haven,” said Perry’s engineering services manager Chad McMurrian. “With two feeds, that of course reduces the chances of the entire community being out of water.
“That’s all in place and active now. There are isolation valves throughout the subdivision to minimize any downtime that customers may experience if there is another water main break.”
McMurrian said this new system will also reduce the chance of water pressure decreasing if there is a water main break.
However, the new system requires New Haven to operate at a lower water pressure, around 55 psi, to help prevent breaks.
New Haven resident Shane Parker said he’s experienced the water issues since he moved into the neighborhood about two years ago, but things have improved in recent months.
He said he has noticed the decrease in water pressure, but he believes the city has generally gone about things the right way.
“I think at the last [informational] meeting, I could tell that [the city] is really trying to work and figure out what the best solution is right now,” Parker said. “I just would really like them to make sure that we’re all getting the proper notifications when a water breakage happens and water advisories. That’s the main thing.”
McMurrian said there have been no issues since the new system was completed and the City of Perry will continue to monitor and evaluate the system’s success.
This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 5:00 AM.