Cowley project will replace aging water lines, improve system

A major water-system improvement project is underway in Cowley, where crews are replacing aging water lines, adding fire hydrants and repairing streets affected by construction.

Mayor Joel Peterson said the project addresses 11 blocks on the south side of town that still contain asbestos-cement, or AC, pipe installed during the 1960s. Much of the older AC pipe on the north side of town was replaced during previous water-system work more than ten years ago.

“AC” stands for asbestos cement, a material once commonly used for water lines. Peterson said the issue is not simply the age of the pipe, but the difficulty and expense of repairing it once it is disturbed.

“The problem with it is, you can’t work on it,” Peterson said, “because it has the word asbestos in it. And if it comes out of the ground, then you have to transport it to a special facility.”

That means a broken section cannot be handled like an ordinary water line repair. The old pipe requires special handling and disposal, adding cost and complication whenever crews must dig into it.

“So it is being abandoned, and we are replacing it,” Peterson said.

The town has been working for about 12 years to develop and fund the project. Peterson said Cowley secured the money through a combination of grants and Water Development funding.

Crews have completed work along Third South and are expected to begin on First East next, including the block near the elementary school. Peterson said the project is expected to be completed during the first part of November.

The work is not limited to replacing the old lines. Cowley will add four fire hydrants and connect several dead-end water lines, creating a more dependable and better connected system.

“We are tying in dead-end lines, looping them in so our water system will be a better structure and better sound, a more sound structure,” Peterson said.

New lines are generally being installed near the edges of streets, limiting the amount of pavement that must be disturbed. Crews will need to dig through intersections where they must connect the new lines into the existing system.

Once construction is complete, sections of street excavated for the project will be repaved.

Peterson said COP Construction of Billings, which was selected as the low bidder, has been doing a good job despite the challenges of working around underground infrastructure more than 60 years old.

“They’re running into problems that come with ancient asbestos or not knowing what’s in the ground,” Peterson said. “They didn’t track it back then like we do today back in the ’60s with the GPS to know exactly where everything’s at.”

The project will leave only a few water line needs to address in future years, Peterson said. Those include a small portion on the north side of town and replacement of a one-inch line along First East between Fourth and Fifth North.