Critical Pipe Fix at Cannonsville

Skilled workers recently completed a successful repair on a 24- inch pipe that releases water from Cannonsville Reservoir into the West Branch Delaware River. The stainless steel pipe inside the West Delaware Release Chamber is one of many that release water downstream, allowing us to meet flows on the Delaware River that are set by court decrees, interstate agreements and state regulations.

Machinists from the Croton Filtration Plant measured the pipe and pre-fabricated patches from rolled sections of steel. Engineers, watershed maintainers, safety experts and police conjured a plan to pump down the stilling pool outside the chamber and create a dry condition for the repair to be executed. Other staff communicated with neighboring states and downstream stakeholders to make sure they were aware that the West Delaware Release Chamber would be shut down for approximately 12 hours. After the repair, the pipe was pressure tested to ensure that the welding was successful and no leaks were observed! We monitored and planned all the work with the help of health and safety experts and he timing of the repair was coordinated with input from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Geological Survey.