Fore River Siphons Project Update

November 9, 2004

Dear Neighbor,

I am delighted to let you know that most of our construction and all of our testing of the MWRA’s new sewer facilities in Idlewell should be complete by the end of November. We have also recently completed testing of the new Intermediate Pump Station in North Weymouth and are fully prepared to have the new sewer system operational by the middle of December.

Completion of the new sewer infrastructure is good news on two fronts. Obviously, it will bring our major construction in Idlewell to an end, although our contractor will return in the spring to complete paving and landscaping. Portions of the sheeting that the protect the work area from high tides will remain in place until work along the beach is complete, mainly in the area of the Idlewell Association property. It will also provide us with the necessary, additional capacity in our sewer system to significantly reduce the occurrence of sewage overflows at Smelt Brook in Weymouth Landing which , as you know, is tributary to the Fore River.

We are enormously grateful to you for patience to date and in the coming weeks as we near completion of the new sewer facilities in Idlewell. As always, please continue to contact Michele Gillen at or (617) 788-1191 or michele.gillen@mwra.state.ma.us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Frederick A. Laskey
Executive Director

Fore River Siphons Anticipated Construction Activities
November 1 – December 15

Complete East Braintree Connection structure, inlet and outlet structures and all manholes

Test all pipes and structures

Complete modifications to the structures in Newell Park

Activate the new sewer system

Begin site restoration including regrading and demobilize until spring 2005

Spring 2005

Complete restoration work including landscaping, paving and removal of any remaining sheet piles.

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September 28, 2004

Dear Neighbor,

We continue to make great progress on the Fore River Siphons Project and, at this point, our construction is more than 80% complete. As you know, we have completed the largest and most difficult portion of the project, the two siphons. And, although we continue to work on manholes and other structures, our work on the new sewer infrastructure is nearing completion. You have been extremely patient throughout this project, but I am sure you, like us, look forward to its completion.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please continue to contact Michele Gillen at or (617) 788-1191 or michele.gillen@mwra.state.ma.us.

Thank you for your continued patience.

Sincerely,
Frederick A. Laskey
Executive Director

Fore River Siphons Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell September 20 – October 30

Complete the East Braintree Siphon manhole

Complete and test other manholes

Complete the inlet and outlet structures near the end of Arlington Street

Complete all remaining pipe work

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August 16, 2004

Dear Neighbor,

I am delighted to report that construction of both siphons is now complete. While it was not without its difficult moments, completing the siphons using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a significant accomplishment. To our knowledge, this is the longest section of this size pipe ever installed using this type of construction technology (42-inches diameter, 4,000 feet).

Although there were, and obviously still are, some unavoidable construction related impacts, using HDD did significantly reduce the potential impacts to the neighborhood and the environment. We are very pleased with the success of HDD and we really appreciate your considerable patience throughout this project.

We still have more work to complete, but we have now resumed daytime only, Monday to Friday work. Since there will not be anymore night or weekend work, the after-hours hotline is no longer operational. You can continue to contact Michele Gillen at (617) 788-1191 or michele.gillen@mwra.state.ma.us if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Frederick A. Laskey
Executive Director

Fore River Siphons Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell: August 13 – September 13

Construction of the inlet structure near the end of Arlington will occur during most of the month

Pile driving will occur the week of August 16 at the end of Arlington Street for approximately 3 days in support of the outlet structure construction.

Excavation will continue at the end of Arlington Street in support of the outlet structure construction.

Dewatering will occur at the end of Arlington Street.

Recent odors: We are aware that one of our recent activities has caused intermittent odors in the neighborhood. While these odors are offensive, we want to assure you that they are not sewage odors and they do not pose a health threat. We have examined all pipes and structures and there are no sewage leaks or sewer gas emissions. The odor is instead related to recent excavation work along the Idlewell shore. The occurrence of odors is consistent with the disturbance of peat, a natural soil material found routinely near waterways, that has a strong odor, described by some as “sewage-like.” Each time they occur, the odors tend to dissipate within a few hours. We are currently removing the excavated soils from the site by truck. Removal of these materials should reduce the potential for the occurrence of any offensive odors. Excavation for the inlet structure should be complete in August and excavation for the pipeline will be complete in September.

Thank you for your patience.

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June 21, 2004

I am extremely happy to report that the first of two siphons has been successfully drilled, reamed and both the steel and plastic pipes installed. This is the critical step towards meeting the July 17, 2004 milestone of getting wastewater flow to the newly constructed Intermediate Pump Station (IPS) for testing and providing relief from MWRA sewer system overflows in Weymouth, including at Smelt Brook in Weymouth Landing.

Unfortunately, we did experience some difficulty during the pipe pullback operation when on several occasions the pipe became stuck in very difficult ground conditions. Our contractor used an air hammer to push the pipe through the hole from the North Weymouth side. This did successfully complete the operation, but it may have caused you some inconvenience.

If so, please accept our apology. We are reviewing our procedures for the next siphon pullback operation and expect to implement some changes that we hope will reduce the impacts of this work. Recently, we met with Mayor Madden and Councillor Lacey to discuss this project. They, like you, I am sure, shared our relief and happiness that installation of this siphon is now complete.

However, there are still several more months of construction, and as summer begins and people and neighborhood children begin to spend more time outdoors, both the Mayor and Councillor Lacey expressed their concern about project impacts during this time. They specifically asked that every effort be made to assure that MWRA and our contractor, Jay Cashman Inc., comply with the work hour limits and other contract requirements. We agree and every effort will be made to minimize the impacts that our project has on our neighbors and to make sure that ours is a safe project for you and our workers.

Therefore, except in the event of an emergency and during the next pipe pullback operation, there will be no extended work days during the week and no weekend work at all. Per our agreement with Weymouth, all work will occur only Monday to Friday from 7a.m. to 7p.m. There will not be any work on Monday, July 5 in recognition of the July 4th holiday. If you have any questions or concerns, please continue to call Michele Gillen at (617) 788-1191 or email her at michele.gillen@mwra.state.ma.us. As always, your patience during construction and your understanding of the project’s long-term benefits, are greatly appreciated by all of us at the MWRA.

Fore River Siphons
Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell
June 19 – July 19

*Please see April newsletter for a detailed description of horizontal directional drilling (HDD). If you no longer have it, you can find it and other project information on the MWRA webpage, www.mwra.com.

Construction of the first of two new siphons is well underway. To date, the directional drilling (HDD) subcontractor, Laney Drilling, has mobilized their successfully drilled the pilot hole for this siphon and are in the process of completing second reaming pass.

In the next few weeks they expect to complete the drilling/ portion of this operation and will begin to pull the pipe back. As a reminder, pullback the contractor will work 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. This is necessary to prevent collapse in the hole.

Pipe pullback should take 1-2 weeks per siphon. We recognize that construction is an inconvenience to you, especially now that summer season and you spend more time outside and have your windows open. Dust is always most problematic during the warm weather and among our most common complaints recently.

As such, we have directed our contractor additional measures to reduce noise and dust. He has installed new mufflers and this has definitely reduced noise. In addition to routine street sweeping, we have also directed him to water the street more often and to hand sweep specific as necessary.

We hope these steps will reduce the noise and dust impacts. Please feel free to continue to call Michele Gillen at (617) 788-1191 or e-mail michele.gillen@mwra.state.ma.us if you have any questions or concerns.

Because an issue or concern requiring a quick response, we have established an between 5p.m. and 8:30 a.m. Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday) will be available during pipe pullback. That number is 1-888-Tunnel2.

Fore River Siphons
Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell
May 19 – June 19

Despite a long and very cold winter, we are making great progress on the Fore River Siphons portion of the Braintree-Weymouth Relief Facilities Project. Our contractor has completed installation of the new 48-inch sewer line as well as the 8-inch municipal line. Testing of these lines will soon be complete. Construction of the Idlewell Connection Structure (ICS) is substantially complete and will soon be tested. The Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) subcontractor, Laney Drilling, has begun mobilizing in Idlewell. To date Laney’s activities have included site preparation and worker and drilling equipment mobilization. Site preparation has also included the installation of temporary stakes along the Fore River bed. A guide wire that is used to remotely direct the horizontal directional drilling will be attached these stakes. As of this writing, Laney was expected to begin drilling this week.

The welding of pipe at the Exelon site is also going very well. Workers have welded together ten 800-foot sections of HDPE pipe. They have also assembled over 50% of the steel casing pipe into which the HDPE will be inserted.You have been quite patient during our construction and we are very grateful to you for this. However, we do occasionally receive a construction related complaint or concern. In each case, we make every effort to work with you and our contractor to address these issues quickly. During the previous month, our staff did receive several complaints about dust. While the contractor has been sweeping the impacted sections of Idlewell Boulevard and Arlington Street daily, we have directed him to take the additional measure of watering down the road prior to street sweeping.

We believe this will be sufficient to keep the dust down. However, you should always feel free to continue to call Michele Gillen at (617) 788-1191 or email her if you have any questions or concerns.

Horizontal Directional Drilling*: The drilling subcontractor will use stakes to attach the guide wire to the river bed. This wire will allow them to monitor the location of the drill bit so that they can maintain the pre-determined alignment under the river. The large stakes are temporary and will be removed and replaced with much shorter stakes within the next two weeks. Drilling of the first siphon is expected to begin during this update period and will take approximately 3-4 weeks. Once drilling is complete, the pipe that is being assembled in Idlewell will be pulled back through the previously drilled hole.

48-inch sanitary sewer and 8-inch municipal sewer: The 48-inch sanitary sewer along the Idlewell Shoreline should be fully assembled and tested during this update period. Installation and testing of the 8-inch municipal sewer pipe should also be complete during this update period. The contractor will make the connection between the 48-inch sewer and the Idlewell Connection Structure during this time also.

Idlewell Connection Structure (ICS): Construction of the ICS is nearly complete. The contractor is in the process of opening the 50-inch MWRA sewer line into which the new 48-inch and the East Braintree line will flow. This will work will be complete prior to the start of HDD.

*Please see previous newsletter for a detailed description of horizontal directional drilling (HDD).

Dear Neighbor,The Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) subcontractor, Laney Drilling, will begin mobilizing in Idlewell during this update period. We expect mobilization to take approximately 2 weeks and actual drilling to begin in April.Because HDD will be the major, if not only, activity during this update period, this newsletter is devoted entirely to providing you with HDD information. Please click here to read more about HDD. Hopefully, this will answer any questions that you may have about the Fore River Siphons construction. However, you should always feel free to call Michele Gillen at (617) 788-1191 or e-mail her at michele.gillen@mwra.state.ma.us if you have any questions or concerns.

Fore River Siphons Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell
April 19 - May 19

Once drilling is complete, the pipe that is being assembled in Idlewell will be pulled back through the previously drilled hole. 48-inch sanitary sewer and 8-inch municipal sewer: The 48-inch sanitary sewer along the Idlewell Shoreline should be fully assembled and tested during this update period. Installation and testing of the 8-inch municipal sewer pipe should also be complete during this update period. The contractor will make the connection between the 48-inch sewer and the Idlewell Connection Structure during this time also.Idlewell Connection Structure (ICS): Construction of the ICS is nearly complete. The contractor is in the process of opening the 50-inch MWRA sewer line into which the new 48-inch and the East Braintree line will flow. This will work will be complete prior to the start of HDD.

*Please see previous newsletter for a detailed description of horizontal directional drilling (HDD).

Fore River Siphons Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell
April 19 - May 19

*Please see previous newsletter for a detailed description of horizontal directional drilling (HDD).

This winter’s extreme cold weather has made our construction along the Idlewell Shoreline, not only slower than we would like, but, as you can imagine, very difficult for the workers on site. Unfortunately, we did have an accident at the site when a worker fell and broke his foot. Thankfully the worker is doing well and is now at home recovering.

Despite weather related setbacks and the worker accident, our contractor is continuing to make progress. They have completed all the pile driving that they believe will be needed. Work on the new 8-inch municipal line, the MWRA’s 48-inch sewer line and associated connecting structures is ongoing. To date several sections of the 48-inch sewer line have been installed as have several sections of the new municipal sewer. The contractor is continuing his effort to complete the Idlewell Connection Structure.The drilling contractor will begin to mobilize within the next few weeks. As a reminder, two siphons will be constructed under the Fore River from the Idlewell shore at Arlington Street to the Exelon Property in North Weymouth using a technology called horizontal directional drilling (HDD). Since actual drilling will not begin until about April 1, we will provide you with a more detailed description of HDD in the next newsletter. Thank you, as always, for your patience during our construction. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call Michele Gillen at (617) 788-1191.

Fore River Siphons: Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell
February 23 - March 23

Installation of the 8-inch municipal pipe, 48-inch MWRA pipe and associated connection chambers and manholes will be the main activities during this period. Excavating and de-watering will continue to be necessary at the connecting chambers and along the pipe alignment until the work is complete. Work on the installation of the Idlewell Connection Structure is ongoing and should be complete in 4-6 weeks. Installation of the 8-inch municipal sanitary line and the 48-inch MWRA sewer pipe has begun and is expected to be complete in time for the activation of the Idlewell Connection Structure.The horizontal directional drilling contractor should begin to mobilize in mid-March. This does represent a a delay from our previous update that can be attributed mainly to the weather. Mobilization, including the delivery and set-up of the drill rig at the end of Arlington Street, should take about two weeks. Actual drilling is expected to begin around April 1.

The pipe for the siphons has already been delivered to the Exelon property in North Weymouth. The contractor has begun site preparation and welding of the pipe at that site. Although the contractor is allowed to work in Idlewell Monday to Friday from 7a.m. to 7p.m. - except pile driving activities which were limited and pipe pullback which will go 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week - he has not worked beyond 4p.m. most days. This will change during drilling and as the weather improves when we do expect the contractor to work longer days, likely the full 12 hours that is allowed. Pipe pullback (a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week activity) will not occur during this update period and is not likely to begin until the middle of April. Work should begin on relocating the sanitary sewer line at the end of Monatiquot Street in North Weymouth shortly. The drilling schedule is contingent upon the completion of the connecting structures and installing bypass sewer pipes. The bypass pipe is necessary to allow for uninterrupted sewer flow during construction. Please note that this schedule is only an estimated schedule that is subject to change. We will make every effort to keep you informed of our contractor’s activities.

The month of December provided us with an unfortunate reminder of the need to construct improved and more efficient sewer facilities for Weymouth. Elevated ground water tables, melting snow and heavy rains entered local and MWRA’s sewer systems and caused sewage overflows at Smelt Brook which, as you know, is tributary to the Fore River.The Braintree-Weymouth Relief Facilities Project is the centerpiece of our effort to increase our sewer system capacity in Weymouth and will provide the most significant reduction of overflows in the MWRA system. It is not, however, a cure-all. We must continue to work diligently to reduce Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) into both the Town of Weymouth’s and MWRA’s sewer systems.Inflow occurs when unauthorized stormwater connections, such as sump pumps, driveways drains and catch basins, discharge directly into the sewer system. Infiltration occurs when cracks and broken joints in sewer pipes allow groundwater to enter them. I/I levels are typically at their highest during conditions exactly like those that occurred in December. And, when I/I levels are high, it leaves less room for sewage in the pipes, adds cost because we must transport and treat what began as clean water and creates overflows that impact the local watershed.The good news is that MWRA and the Town of Weymouth continue to make great advances in the I/I removal effort.

Weymouth has worked closely with MWRA staff through our I/I Community Support Program to actively remove I/I from it’s local system. To date, Weymouth has secured more than $3 million in grants and no-interest loans from MWRA to remove I/I. Their efforts include pipeline replacement, sewer re-lining and sump pump removal.If you would like more information about I/I removal or water conservation, you can contact Michele Gillen at (617) 788-1191 or the Weymouth Department of Public Works at (781) 337-5100.

Fore River Siphons: Anticipated Construction Activities in Idlewell January 15 to February 15

Pile and sheet driving, excavating and de-watering will continue to be the major activities during the next month. Pile driving began in December and will continue along the Idlewell Shore until it is complete - in approximately 3-4 weeks. This does represent a delay in the schedule that had previously been given to you. The delay was related to a water inflow problem that has since been resolved as well as cold and snowy weather. A second pile/sheet driver has been added so that two pile drivers will work concurrently and should accelerate the completion of the wall.

Installation of manholes and connecting structures will begin during this schedule period as well. Installation of the Idlewell connection structure along the shoreline will take approximately 6 to 7 weeks. Manhole installation is a weather dependent activity and will likely continue through the end of March.

The Horizontal Directional Drilling Equipment is expected to be delivered in mid to late February.

Per the Idlewell Educational and Improvement Association’s request, truck route signs will be installed along the truck route (Narraganset Avenue to Biscayne Avenue to Pleasantview Avenue to Idlewell Boulevard and Arlington Street) during the next couple of weeks. Please note that this schedule is only an estimated schedule that is subject to change. We will make every effort to keep you informed of our contractor’s activities.

Thank you for your patience.

We have begun pile driving and I am happy to report that so far it is going well. As I indicated in the last newsletter, pile driving is often one of the most disruptive construction activities that we undertake and we are very sensitive to its potential impacts on you. My staff, including Michele Gillen, have been on-site and tell me that to date there has not been any noticeable vibration, but that pile driving has been a little bit loud. Our noise and vibration monitoring supports these observations - the measured vibrations are extremely low, significantly lower, in fact, than the contract limits.

Unfortunately, during the first two days of pile driving, the noise limits were slightly exceeded. We have directed our contractor to take additional steps to mitigate noise and are confident that these measures will allow us to satisfy the noise limits.The Fore River Siphons Project is a complex undertaking with significant long-term benefits, but with obvious short-term inconvenience. We have successfully worked with you and town officials before construction began to mitigate the anticipated impacts of our construction. Now that construction has actually begun, I assure you that we are firmly committed to enforcing the construction mitigation requirements that we agreed to and to resolving any issues that may arise as quickly as we can. However, despite our mutual and successful efforts to reduce these impacts, some construction related impacts - such as noise and vibration from pile driving and the temporary inconvenience of truck deliveries - are unavoidable.

Your tolerance of these occurrences and your ongoing willingness to work cooperatively with us are greatly appreciated by all of us at MWRA who work on this project.

Although it may appear that recent activity on the Fore River Siphons is slow and intermittent, we continue to make real progress. Our contractor, Jay Cashman Inc. is mobilizing and to date has installed security fencing and hay bales along the Idlewell shore and contractor trailers at MWRA's property in Quincy. Site preparation including re-grading and removal of structures is ongoing. The rodent control program has been implemented and pre-construction surveys documenting the existing condition of homes within 100 feet of construction have been completed. MWRA continues to work with the contractor to finalize noise, vibration, parking, traffic and dust control before heavy construction begins next week.

This week there should not be much activity since the contractor is not allowed to work Thanksgiving Day or the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. However, beginning the week of Monday, December 1, we expect the contractor to begin pile driving and excavating in anticipation of initializing the 8-inch Weymouth sewer and MWRA connecting sewers and structures along the Idlewell shore.Based on our experience on many major construction projects, we know that pile driving is typically one of the more disruptive construction activities to project neighbors. I know my staff has discussed pile driving and other project activities with you at neighborhood meetings, but I thought it would be helpful to provide this information to you again. Click here to read a description of pile driving, its potential impacts on project neighbors and the measures we have included to mitigate those impacts. I hope that this information provides answers to any questions that you may have and addresses any concerns that may arise.

As always, please feel free to contact Michele Gillen with any questions or concerns on the Fore River Siphons project. Thank you for your patience as we work to improve our sewer service to you. I hope you have a happy and quiet Thanksgiving!