Page 12 - May-June2019 Vol37 No1

METRO NASHVILLE By Ron Abraham, P.E., BCEE and Akeem Turner, P.E.

A Vital Connection:
Cumberland City Low Transmission Water Main

America’s deteriorating roads and bridges… and the need Donelson Pike
to fix this aging transportation infrastructure… has become
a hot topic. We often hear much less about the nation’s water
infrastructure because it is, well, less visible. However, it is
equally important, since much of America’s drinking water
infrastructure is undersized and/or approaching the end of
its estimated life span.

The structural integrity of this infrastructure, comprising
more than 1 million miles of pipes belowground (with
many of them laid in the early to mid-20th century) is
more important than ever in order to continue providing
an uninterrupted supply of safe, clean drinking water to an
ever-increasing population.
Metro Water Services’ Recent Project

When it comes to water transmission main improvement
projects, one of the best ways to increase resiliency is
through reliability achieved through redundancy. Metro
Water Services’ (MWS) recent Cumberland City Low (CCL)
Transmission Water Main project was implemented in the
Donelson/Hermitage area of metropolitan Nashville, and is
an example of this best practice in action.

More than 26,000 linear feet of ductile iron water main,
including more than 24,000 linear feet of 60- and 36-inch
diameter and 2,000 linear feet of 12-inch diameter, was
placed within Nashville’s busy thoroughfares to help mitigate
potential future water pressure, capacity, and flow problems
within the water distribution network.

The outcome was a dual-feed (or loop) water transmission
main for an essential portion of Nashville’s eastern water
distribution
system. It was a
reliable alternative
for the rest of
the system in the
event of a future
break in the aging
transmission main
from the K.R.
Harrington Water
Treatment Plant.

Additionally, the
new water main
accommodates
improved water
service to the
Donelson/
Hermitage area,
as water can be
delivered from
either the K.R.
Harrington Water

12 TPW May/June 2019