Work on new MAWC pipeline nearing completion

A $63 million project linking Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water treatment plants is wrapping up.

Authority officials said work on the final section of a 48-inch pipe between Jeannette and Adamsburg is nearly complete. The line still has to pass bacterial tests and be connected to a tank in Adamsburg, but officials expect water to be flowing through it by early May.

“It is now basically complete,” said Brian Hohman, authority business manager.

Work began more than 10 years ago to link water treatment plants in the northern and southern parts of the authority’s system. The pipeline has been placed between East Huntingdon and Adamsburg in Hempfield.

Once water is flowing through the whole line, customers should not be affected in the event of a leak or outage, Hohman said.

“It holds a large volume of water and will allow us to move water between the northern part of our system and the southern part of our system,” he said.

Prior to the project, pipelines ranged from 20- to 36-inches, he said. The project was meant to ensure uninterrupted service for most of the authority’s more than 120,000 customers.

The final section of about 14,000 feet of pipe cost about $12.5 million, said authority Manager Michael Kukura. Customers should not expect any changes once the new section of line is officially connected.