Contractor to address Golden Lane water pump pressure problem

by David Abner

Low water pressure has been a problem the last several months for homes on Golden Lane and four homes on Fairfax Street near War Memorial Hospital.

Water Works and water line replacement project contractor Cowgirl Up, Inc. are planning to address the problem of the failing pump station in the next two weeks.

Linda Bailey, a resident of one of the affected homes on Fairfax Street, attended the regular Monday morning project meeting on April 16 to express concern about failing water pressure. She said the pressure was so low that she was unable to get any water to the upstairs part of the house.

Water Works Manager Kevin Hancock said they were able to increase the water pressure to fix the problem temporarily, but that the pumping station is on its last legs. Hancock said a plan to replace the pumping station has been in the works for some time, but a series of unforeseen problems has delayed work.

The original plan was to use an existing pipe to feed water from the tower on Fairview Drive to the affected homes, eliminating the Golden Lane pumping station. But Hancock found a section of the existing pipe had been cut and capped sometime before, making the pipe unusable.

At that point, Hancock approached the Bath Town Council about correcting the problem as part of the water line replacement project. That would have required the installation of 400 ft. of new water line up Golden Lane to Fairfax Street in front of the hospital.

Thrasher Engineering and Cowgirl Up provided an estimate for the work and council decided there were sufficient contingency funds in the project budget.

Hancock then ordered the necessary parts to complete the project. But before work could start, the West Virginia Department of Highways told the contractor that they couldn't dig up any more roads until they had patched the roads with asphalt that they had already dug up.

With the weather being as cold as it has been this spring, the asphalt plants have not been producing asphalt very often. This has caused even more delays.

There is light at the end of the tunnel for the affected residents. Project Inspector Brian Martin told council and Bailey that they would have the asphalt caught up this week and would work on the new line to replace the Golden Lane pump as their next priority.

Martin estimated the work would be finished in two weeks. There will be one day during those two weeks when water will be cut to the affected homes to tie in the new line.

Martin said they would notify residents the day before the water is to be cut off.