Date: Fri 24-Nov-1995

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

sewers-Main-St-trees-WPCA

Full Text:

Sewer Drilling Alternative May Help Spare Main St Trees

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) members plan to conduct a public

informational session on the possibility of using innovative directional

drilling instead of conventional open-pit trenching to install sewers on the

east side of Main Street to protect the mature trees lining that side of the

thoroughfare.

Hemlock Directional Boring of Torrington, a company which uses the directional

drilling technique to install various types of public utilities, explained the

sewer installtion technique to WPCA members at a November 16 session.

After hearing the presentation, WPCA members decided to have the firm explain

the drilling technique to Main Street residents and the Borough Board of

Burgesses at an upcoming WPCA session. The WPCA is considering directional

drilling as one of several ways to install sewers on the east side of the

street.

In early 1993, WPCA members had expected that sewer lines would be installed

beneath Main Street. But after learning of the complexities of installing

sewers beneath the concrete-based, utility-laden street, the WPCA opted to

place the sewers in front of the houses there. The Burgesses, however,

objected to that placement, saying that sewer trenching there would damage

tree roots and cause the premature death of specimen trees. In response to

those concerns, WPCA members then decided to have sewers installed in

backyards.

Some Main Street residents, however, objected to that sewer route last summer,

resulting in WPCA members then opting not to place sewers in backyards.

In recent weeks, WPCA members have been considering using various construction

methods and locations for sewers in front of the houses. These include using

conventional open-pit trenching to: install sewers beneath Main Street;

beneath front yards; or beneath some combination of Main Street and

frontyards; and possibly using directional drilling to install sewers beneath

frontyards, where applicable.

In directional drilling, the bore holes into which sewer lines would be

inserted would lie below the root systems of trees to avoid damaging those

trees.

Mapping

Peter Grose, sewering project director for Fuss and O'Neill, Inc, the town's

consulting civil engineers, showed WPCA members some basic mapping which the

engineers had prepared indicating land segments on the east side of Main

Street where directional drilling for sewer line installtion might be used.

Kenneth Traub of Hemlock Directional Boring explained to WPCA members that

such drilling work involves the excavation of an entry pit and an exit pit

between which sewer pipe would be installed.

A pilot hole is drilled to start the process. The drill head contains a radio

transmitter to inform the drillers of the drill head's location and whether it

is on course. The pitch of the pipe section can be regulated but the piping's

lateral alignment may vary slightly.

After a pilot hole is drilled, the drillers use a reaming tool to widen the

bore hole. The hole which is drilled is approximately 20 percent larger in

diameter than the pipe being installed.

The drillers can drill through bedrock if it's encountered while the bore hole

is being made, Mr Traub said. As soon as the bore hole is created, sewer

piping is inserted into it, preventing the bore hole from collapsing, he said.

Mr Grose said a continuous length of polethylene plastic sewer piping would be

installed instead of individually-jointed sections of polyvinyl chloride pipe.

So far, polyvinyl chloride pipe has been used in the sewering project.

Polyethylene pipe is more flexible than polyvinyl chloride pipe and lends

itself better to bore hole installations.

Mr Traub explained that the directional drilling technique, which was

pioneered to extract the maximum amount of petroleum from oilfields, is used

in sewering work in areas where there are restrictions on excavation work to

prevent site damage.

Mr Grose said that natural gas and public water supply lines along Main Street

are buried much closer to the ground's surface than the sewer lines will be.

Alagna

WPCA Chairman Peter Alagna noted that while Main Street residents have

expressed concerns about the damage that sewer main installation could do to

tree roots along the street, the installation of sewer hookup lines between

sewer mains and houses is as critical, if not more so, than sewer main

installation.

Mr Grose observed there are more areas on the east side of Main Street between

Church Hill Road and Glover Avenue where directional drilling would be useful

than between Schoolhouse Hill Road and Church Hill Road.

WPCA member Alan Shepard said directional drilling appears to be the sewer

installtion technique to use, where applicable, to limit disruption to the

landscape in selected areas.

Mr Alagna said installing sewers via directional drilling appears to be less

costly than installing an equal length of sewers beneath Main Street.

Mr Grose suggested that the town pursue directional drilling, where

applicable, through a direct contract with a drilling firm instead of using a

drilling firm as a subcontractor. Any direct contract with a directional

drilling company would be subject to a competitive bidding process.

Directional drilling can be used to span points as far as 1,500 feet apart.

Besides using the technique to install some gravity-powered sewers, it can be

used for: force main sanitary sewers, storm sewers, cable television lines,

natural gas piping, elctrical cables, water pipes, fiber optic cables, and

telephone ducts and cables. The drilling technique is used at sites including

road crossings, rail crossings, street and parking lot lighting, residential

frontyards and backyards, rivers, wetlands, wooded areas, landmarks and

unsurmountable walls and fences. The drilling method's advantages include the

elimination or reduction of: shored trenching, restoration work, and negative

environmental effects.

Hemlock Directional Boring has installed some gravity-powered sewers in

Litchfield, Mr Traub said.

The Way We Were

Malcolm Andrew 'Andy' Bryant

Top Of The Mountain

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The editorial took no position on the budget going up or down so you're reading things into the editorial that simply aren't there. The turnout is tied to the lack of passage, in that people who came out to vote last time did not this time, indicating a lack of support on their part. Perhaps it wasn't spelled out clearly enough, but that's what the editorial was driving at, people showing lack of support by not casting a vote. The editorial did address likely concerns among voters that may have led to lack of support and lack of turnout. This lower turnout also follows increasing turnout over the past four referendums in three years (meaning it is an aberration from that), and increased turnout is something that I do push for regularly in editorials. Any disappointment you might be seeing is at the break in that trend, not at whether the budget passed or not. I'd rather see more people come out and vote "no" then not vote at all.

Lower Turnout Results In Two Budget Defeats

Clearly, property owners no longer want to bear the burden of expenses while the state does not meet it’s responsibilities. Rising costs must be addressed by actions that do not include yearly increases of property owners’ taxes. The state of CT must meet its share of the educational costs, and other costs.

Town And School Budgets Fail At Referendum

This feels like an oddly misleading headline and narrative, particularly coming from the Editorial Board. The headline "Lower Turnout Results in Two Budget Defeats" pushes a misleading narrative regarding voter turnout, and then seeks to tie the outcome of the referendum to that misleading narrative. Sure, voter turn out for this year's referendum, 18%, was lower than last year's. However, last year's turnout, 25.4%, represented the highest turnout in the most recent 10 budget referendums. If you take the time to examine turnout percentages between 2017 and 2026 (2017: 19.9, 2018: 15.7, 2019: 17, 2020: 0, 2021: 8.98, 2022: 7.7, 2023: 8.8, 2024: 15.1/17.49, 2025: 25.4, 2026: 18), this year's turnout was actually the third highest in the past 10 cycles. Perhaps the headline of this article should say "Lower Voter Turnout Than Last Year", which is more accurate, rather than creating an impression that this year's turnout is some type of aberration - a narrative that the turnout numbers, in all their binary glory, simply do not support. Further, the headline of this article appears to tie the "lower turnout" to the defeated budgets. Sure, that could be true. But, perhaps, its more likely that Newtown residents are feeling the squeeze of multiple economic influences. In Newtown, we've experienced property revaluations and increased municipal spending. Eversource continues to raise rates. The state legislature gives PURA the authority to impose Public Benefit charges that benefit a tiny percentage of the public (and subsequently burdening the rest of us). At the national level, inflation has run rampant for years and many of those costs remain high to this day. In short, the data tells a far less dramatic—and far more honest—story than the headline suggests. This wasn’t an electorate vanishing in apathy; it was a fairly typical turnout delivering an verdict that, perhaps, some at the Editorial Board didn't like. At some point, it’s worth considering that residents aren’t confused, disengaged, or misled by turnout; they’re simply doing math at their kitchen tables and concluding that “no” is the only responsible answer left.

Enjoyed the forum which only confirmed my support for Brandon Moore as the Democratic candidate to run for the state representative position. Brandon Moore did not waiver about his duty to all the people, if elected, when an issue presents itself that requires that he voice a difference of opinion for the wellbeing of Newtown residents. If Michelle Ku’s 16 years have led to her loyalty being to other elected officials, as she implied, then Newtown is going to continue to witness actions that do not protect its residents. She could not unseat republican, Mitch Bolinsky, during a Blue Wave, and once again, will not do it now. Winning that seat is critical for all. That explains why her previous campaign committee now campaigns for Brandon Moore. It explains all the endorsements he has received from local elected democratic officials. It’s why we need Brandon Moore to be the democratic candidate to run for state representative.

Second Newtown DTC, League Of Women Voters Candidates Event Planned

Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.

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Date: Fri 24-Nov-1995

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