The town of Batavia is beginning a sewer rehabilitation project at the beginning of the month. The Washington Avenue Sewer Project is expected to impact traffic once construction begins. Washington Avenue will be limited to local traffic only in the specific section that is being worked on. The first section to be closed off will be Bank Street to Summit Street, followed by Summit Street to Ross Street. During this time, thru traffic will not be allowed, only access for residents/deliveries/emergency services. It is expected that sidewalks will always be open and passable, but caution should be observed as it is a construction zone. Once completed, construction will then shift to the Jefferson Avenue- Bank Street block of Washington Avenue. The sewer lines being replaced are 70 to 100 years old. The entire project is expected to be completed, including pavement resurfacing from Ellicott Avenue to Ross Street, by the end of August.
Interesting fact: Upstate New York has been researching effective ways to combat the elevated lead levels in water pipes. Many pipelines are galvanized service lines. Service lines run from the water mains to the curbside connection of a home or business. Replacing service lines, however, would not address another potential source for lead contamination: Lead plumbing and connections from the curbside to the interior of homes and businesses. Several municipal suppliers in upstate New York have lead components in the small branches of the distribution system connecting water mains to service hookups. Based on the age, between 5 percent and 25 percent of service connections in Rochester, Ithaca, Binghamton and Elmira are likely to have some lead components. Water districts are required to add agents to coat pipe linings and neutralize the water’s pH- steps to cut down on lead leaching from pipes and fittings.
