Albion village looks for ways to boost water pressure/volume on Allen Road

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 February 2017 at 11:35 am

ALBION – The Village of Albion has heard from residents on Allen Road for many years who complain about low water pressure and volume.

The village has tried to improve the situation, but Allen Road residents, and some who live on the side streets, continue to say there is a problem.

Village Trustee Mattea Navarra met with several residents on Allen Road recently and they told her they feel like the village has given up on the problem.

The water pressure often falls below 42 pounds per square inch, and some residents see their water slow to a trickle if they try to wash their car outside.

The village Department of Public Works isolated valves along the line to check for pressure and that wasn’t the problem, said Todd Sargent, DPW superintendent.

The village would like some expertise from John Papponetti, an engineer with Labella Associates. Papponetti is a former village resident and Village Board member.

His father, Harry Papponetti, has endured low water pressure or volume for 27 years. Harry Papponetti said the pressure and volume were better when Albion had standpipes at the corner of Route 98 and Allen Road. They were removed in the early-1990s and the Allen Road neighborhood now gets its water from a 3-million-gallon tank at the corner of Route 31A and 98 in Barre.

That tank has higher elevation, and engineers expected it would boost pressure and volume for Allen Road, but Harry Papponetti said that hasn’t been the case since the new storage tank went on line more than 20 years ago.

When the tank is full, there is stronger water pressure, village officials said.

“We’ve been talking about this for months,” said Trustee Stan Farone. “We need to come up with a game plan.”

Village officials, including Sargent, said they would meet next week to focus on resolving the issue.

“We need to communicate with the residents to let them know we’re working on it,” Navarra said.

Return to top