White Pigeon Water System Improvement Project, Phase I

In 2020, JPR was hired by the White Pigeon Village Council to develop a plan to replace an outdated and undersized water main, located in the center of US 12 that ran through the middle of the Village. At 75-years-old, the cast iron water main was approaching the end of its life. In addition, the Village had recorded an increasing number of breaks on this water main, and due to its location, were forced to shutdown US 12 to repair it. With all of this in mind, JPR compiled record drawings to create a hydraulic model of the water distribution system. When completed, the design team was able to appropriately size the new water main set to replace the existing 4-inch one.

After JPR completed a topographic survey of the US 12 corridor, from the east Village limits to the west, the design team spent four months designing the new main to be completed in the north tree lawn of the roadway. This change in location fully eliminated the need to make repairs inside the asphalt pavement of the state highway, minimizing the cost of maintenance and impact to the continuous truck traffic.

The project’s biggest challenge was communication and coordination – specifically between the homeowners and Village, along with the contractor and inspection staff members. To help this, JPR held multiple public meetings and released fliers that discussed the scope and schedule of the project. However, what may have had the biggest impact on communication was that JPR inspectors met with each homeowner one-on-one to discuss the project and answer any questions they may have had.

JPR was also able to provide procurement of project funding in the form of a long-term, low-interest loan. This was important because the Village demographic falls within the overburdened community income range for the State of Michigan and they would not have been able to complete this project without the loan.

This project provided new service lines to approximately 86 residents and has given the drinking water distribution system a strong, reliable backbone for the rest of the system to connect to. In addition, this is the first water main in the Village to be composed of PVC C900 material.

“This project is the start of bringing the drinking water system up to today’s standards,” said Tyler Royce, Village Council President. “The Village has been reactive for the past several years, but residents and local businesses deserve reliable drinking water and available fire suppression.”

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