Elmfield Road & Hop Brook Utilities

  • Client

    City of Framingham

  • EP’s Role

    Prime; On-Call

The water and sewer utilities in the areas of Elmfield Road and Hop Brook were identified by the City of Framingham as being undersized, having excessive Inflow/Infiltrataion (I/I), and in need of significant reconfiguration in order to lower the maintenance burden on operations personnel.

Existing sewers were located within the bank limits of Hop Brook, severely limiting access and leaving pipes susceptible to damage. After closed circuit television inspection (CCTV) of the area sewers, the City initiated a replacement program and Environmental Partners (EP) was retained in early 2015 to provide design, permitting, bidding, and construction services for proposed sewer and water main improvements.

Water main improvements on Elmfield Road were necessary to improve pressure, fire flows, and water quality to the surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, the project replaced outdated cast iron water mains with new, more reliable ductile iron. In addition to I/I reduction, the sewer realignment in the Hop Brook area greatly reduced the risk of sewer failure and discharge into Hop Brook, which is an important local resource.

Improvements included the installation of 1,500 feet of 8-inch water main, 1,800 feet of 8-inch and 15-inch PVC sewer, CIPP lining of sewer mains through a residential easement, and cementitious and epoxy lining of sewer manholes. Design included realignment of the existing 12” sewer around Hop Brook via a CSX right-of-way, deep excavation (~15 ft.), and bypass of Hop Brook to facilitate removal of the AC sewer pipe exposed in the streambed. Upon review of CCTV inspection records, CIPP lining was chosen as the most cost effective method after several trenchless alternatives were examined. Work also included asbestos pipe abatement and reconfiguration of the Elmfield sewer alignment to eliminate acute intersection angles. Permitting with CSX and the Conservation Commission was completed prior to construction. This project was completed in the spring of 2017.

Key Team Members