East Providence To Establish Emergency Backup Water Pipeline

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — The City of East Providence and the Bristol County Water Authority (BCWA) have teamed up to build an emergency pipeline to establish a backup water supply for both utilities, said a news release from the city.

The project will link the BCWA East Bay Pipeline with the East Providence water system at the Kent Heights water storage facilities to provide the emergency water supply from Providence Water, said the news release.

“We are absolutely thrilled to finalize this project and are eager for BCWA to begin construction of this much-needed emergency pipeline,” said East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva in a statement. “Now more than ever, it’s important that we work together to provide our residents and businesses with an uninterrupted flow of clean, safe and reliable water.”

The collaboration comes after BCWA experienced two water leaks in its East Bay Pipeline in 2019, which took over six months to repair. During that time, the East Providence interconnection was used sparingly as it does not currently supply enough water for both utilities. The new emergency pipeline will be larger and able to provide enough water in case of similar leaks in the future.

“This new emergency water connection is a critical component to the resiliency of our regional water supplies,” said Stephen Coutu, Executive Director and Chief Engineer for BCWA, in a statement. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with the City of East Providence.”

The $6.9 million project will be funded by BCWA and East Providence will assist with traffic control during construction, which will begin April 5 at Pawtucket Avenue and Elder Avenue.

For more information and project updates, visit the City of East Providence website.