CANTON − City officials are taking emergency action to repair a waterline that serves Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital.
Canton City Council on June 30 authorized the mayor or service director to enter into any contracts necessary to address a failing pipe, which serves as the primary feed for the hospital, without following the formal procurement process that often takes several months to complete.
Canton’s Board of Control, which handles city contracts, on July 1 approved a $184,000 contract with Tele-Vac Environmental to manufacture a soft pipe liner that will be inserted into the existing pipe.
Service Director John Highman Jr. said the existing 8-inch-diameter waterline that serves the hospital has broken twice within the past several weeks. The pipe is located under Interstate 77 and extends under the highway entrance ramp before connecting to the hospital at 1320 Mercy Drive NW.
“Although the line remains on and pressurized, we do not want to chance the issue worsening,” said Highman, who emphasized that the hospital does have water.
Highman said the city has a redundant secondary waterline that runs to the hospital, but the redundant line is only 6 inches in diameter and water pressure would be impacted if it had to become the hospital’s primary feed.
Assistant Water Superintendent Brent Burrier said Tele-Vac expects to have the liner manufactured, installed and tested for service by July 16. He said the liner, which he likened to a fire hose, is 5 millimeters thick and will be cured to the inside of the existing ductile iron pipe. He said the line could continue to function even if the iron pipe breaks and falls off.
Water Superintendent Tyler Converse said the water department plans to meet with hospital officials to evaluate the existing waterlines that serve the hospital and whether a different configuration is needed.
Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton takes emergency action to repair waterline for Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital
Reporting by Kelli Weir, Canton Repository / The Repository
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