According to the engineer, water pipe leaks undermine the streets of the city

The aging water pipe system from Montelier has experienced several water pipes and valve failure in recent years, which leads to uncomfortable cooking water notes, stressful overtime work for city inspected, additional expenses for the city and in three cases this winter the flood of the basement or farms.

In addition to these problems, an engineer who believes in Montelier – Scott Muller – believes that both major and minor undermine the pipe leaks of urban streets, of which an appropriate number is in poor condition.

Müller is an environmental engineer who has been working for international organizations for urban systems, including water systems for three decades. He has been telling the city officials for some time that the city has to do with the high pressure of the system, which reaches almost £ 200 per square (PSI) in the city center, far above the pressure in most cities and well above the level recommended by the state.

“The regrettable condition of the streets in Montpelier is a direct result of the system's overpressure,” said Muller. The moisture around the leavage begins a cycle of freezing and thawing, he said, and also creates cavities that lead to the streets collapse or collapse.

Müller sent the bridge a number of articles and studies to support his position that the leaks affect the streets. One was an article from 2014 in the American Water Works Association Journal entitled “Failure for Road Rumps, which result from underground water pipeline breaks.” The study “examines the consequences of main water breaks, in particular the failure of street grape, which is caused by the pressure of the exit water and the erosion of the pipe bed linen,” said an abstract.

Another article published in 2021 by an engineering association contains this catchy title: “Mechanistic mathematical modeling of pothole development due to the loss of underground road materials”. It indicates that the water pressure and the erosion of underground materials underground leaks can lead to cavity formation, cavities and potholes.

Lost water

Montelier loses more water against leaks than most cities. In 2014, the environmental protection authority estimated that public water systems, according to the New York Times, lose an average of 17% of their water – mainly from leaks in pipes. According to Montpelier officials, the city's system loses about 30% of its treated water, also mainly against LECK.

The “non-metered” water has to go somewhere, but Kurt Motyka, director of the public work department, does not believe that the Freeze Tau cycle influences the streets in a significant way. “The water networks are about six feet deep, which is usually below the frost line, he said.

Motyka admitted that “there are cases in which water leaks displace floors, which leads to a road residence. These areas are typically become known leaks and are excavated and repaired.”

While water leaks under the streets could be a factor in the abundance of potholes and the rough or sacking paving of the city, it is also true that the city did not keep up with the paving needs described by its own employees.

The deputy director of the public work department, Zach Blodgett, has recommended in recent years in recent years that the city spends $ 1.2 million a year for paving. However, the budgets submitted to the city council have approved the council to keep taxes low. For example, for the 2026 financial year, the city budgeted 725,000 US dollars for paving.

Pressure reduction vs. pipe replacement

Müller believes that Montpelier's very high water pressure is an essential factor that causes small and large leaks in the city's water system. State supervisory authorities marked the high pressure as a serious problem when he checked the city's application for a drinking water permit in 2023. In the end, however, no pressure changes asked and instead demanded that the city replace its most problematic pipes faster.

One way to deal with the pressure, said Müller, to monitor the pressure levels at different locations in the city. “It can then be checked with a number of valves in the city,” he said. “It would have to require someone to optimize valves and volumes and pressure throughout the city and harmonize the distribution system.”

Motyka said that the high -pressure level of the water system could contribute to pipe problems, but he claims that it is the most efficient reaction to the leaks to increase the concentration on the exchange of missing pipes with new and stronger pipes – and increase their size.

“Larger pipes do not change the pressure, but it reduces the speed in the tube, which reduces the waterhammer pressure,” he said. He then told an example of how the installation of new, larger pipes helped in one case.

“We had many water pipes in Northfield Street, but also on the nearby colonial drive,” he said. “In 2016 we improved the pipes in Northfield Street from a 6-inch tube to a 16-inch tube, and then all the leaks stopped at the colonial era.”

Another solution that could help the pressure situation would be to build a new warehouse tank near the airport in Berlin to operate the hospital and to reduce pressure tips in the system, said Motyka. The city already has two water storage tanks, one on ToWne Hill and one in the Terrace Street.

“If you had a tank recommendation with the gravity, this could eliminate the tips of pump changes if we have a pipe break,” said Motyka. “But that would require a completely new waterline from the new tank to the waterworks, which would be a fairly large capital investment.”

This story is the third in a series about Montelier's water pipes. For other stories in the series, see “Water Line Breaks has flooded three houses this winter” and “Montelier's frequent water breaks ask for further questions about the plans of the City water system”.

Lost water

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