Winchester, KY – Winchester Municipal Utilities (WMU) provides water, wastewater, and solid waste service to the City of Winchester and Clark County. Residents, businesses, and visitors all rely on the dedication of the men and women at WMU that keep the area thriving through its utility services.
The Problem:
WMU faced challenges regarding two separate sections of town. The lines required maintenance due to old inoperable inline valves that needed to be replaced. The challenge – replacing these valves using a procedure that eliminated the shutdown of the water lines that service hundreds of homes and businesses.
The Solution:
To perform the required maintenance project WMU specified the Hydra-Stop Insta-Valve 250 and contracted with the C.I. Thornburg Co. (CITCO) of Lexington, KY. CITCO performs tapping, line stopping, and valve insertion services for many municipalities. The Insta-Valve 250 is a 250-psi rated insertion valve manufactured by Hydra-Stop, LLC in Burr Ridge, IL. The valve can be installed under pressure without interrupting water service to the customer. With the help and inspection of WMU, CITCO installed one 12-inch and two 6-inch Insta-Valve 250’s without shutting down water service to a single customer in three separate locations of the water system.
The Result:
Mr. Duke Dryden – Director of Engineering & Operations for WMU said “The 12-inch valve installed on South Main Street, in front of South Main Grocery, was installed to replace an old inoperable plug valve that was installed circa 1891. The two 6-inch valves on Colby Road were installed to isolate a broken gate valve that was installed circa 1950.”
Mr. Dryden added “Utilizing Hydra-Stop insertion valves, WMU maintained uninterrupted water service and avoid a boil water advisory to approximately 200 customers including South Main Grocery and the Clark County Library.”
Hydra-Stop’s insertion valve solution helped WMU in eliminating system shutdown, the costs associated with shutdown and any customer inconvenience.
Project Takeaways:
- Insta-Valve 250 installation allowed system maintenance without shutting down water service.
- No service disruption eliminated inconvenience to business and residential customers.
- WMU avoided system shutdown and the costs associated with shutdown – boil orders, loss of treated water and lab testing fees for two areas of their community.
