West Wing dual force main near completion; pump station work to continue into next year

Eric Claremore, Engineering Division Manager for New Castle County Public Works, told the committee the West Wing Force Main project is "almost complete," describing the work as about 3.4 miles of dual force main (14-inch and 18-inch lines) connecting the Back Creek area across Route 896 to the Mount Pleasant interceptor.

Claremore said final pipe acceptance testing finished late last week and crews are dismantling micro-tunnel shafts. "The goal of that, that is the last step, now that we've connected all the pipes to restore the road starting July 13, and the projected end date to be completely off of the project is July 24," he said.

The project includes a new pump station on the Carter Farms subdivision parcel that the county will take ownership of. Claremore said the station will collect wastewater and discharge to the two force mains; the dual lines allow the county to stage system use and expand capacity as development proceeds without reopening roads for additional piping. "So the idea is to run the smaller [main] first as more demand comes on, switch to the larger, eventually use both," he said, adding that the lines can be alternated for maintenance.

Claremore noted that pump-station construction began in May and is expected to finish next summer; however, he highlighted long-lead electrical items as a schedule risk that has persisted since the pandemic.

The committee did not take any formal votes related to the project during the update. Co-Chair Dave Carter said staff will return in the coming months with an update on the remainder of the sewer system.