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After more than 60 years of continuous service, the Hultman Aqueduct is finally receiving a well deserved overhaul.

From 1939 through 2003, millions of Metro Boston residents relied the Hultman Aqueduct to deliver almost all of its drinking water.

By the 1990s, the aging surface aqueduct was riddled with leaks -- it was losing about 400,000 gallons of water per day. Valves needed to be replaced and water pressure fluctuated. The Hultman was still operational, but without extensive repair, it was only a matter of time before a major breach occured.

If the aqueduct failed, virtually all water service to Boston would have been cut off, a potential disaster for the region's public health, safety and economy. Still, repairs could not be performed as long as the Hultman remained the only major water line for Boston.

New Water Tunnel Makes Hultman Rehabilitation Possible

The vicious cycle ended in 2003, when MWRA started up the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel, a new water transmission line that mirrors the route of the Hultman Aqueduct.

The Hultman has been taken off-line and its rehabilitation is underway. When work is complete, the old aqueduct and the new tunnel can be used interchangeably. If one line needs repair, the other will be activated, with little or no interruption to service.

 

Project Status The Hultman Aqueduct is off-line. MWRA and its contractor are inspecting and repairing the aqueduct and related structures. On April 21, 2012, the Hultman Aqueduct was activated from the Norumbega Covered Storage Tank to Shaft 5 in Weston providing full redundancy from Southborough to Weston for the first time. The Hultman will also be connected to the Carroll Water Treatment Plant.

Project Details

Construction and maintenance activities will take place in Southborough, Framingham, Wayland, Natick and Weston. Work to rehabilitate the 13.4-mile long, 12.5-foot diameter Hultman Aqueduct includes:

• Inspection and repair of 13.4 miles of existing aqueduct pipe,
• Inspection and repair of 46 culverts under the aqueduct,
• Replacement of 28 access manholes,
• Replacement of 15 blow-off structures, and
• New fencing and guardrails at 39 street crossings.

The project is expected to be complete in 2014.

Contract Details

MWRA Contract #6975 (Hultman Aqueduct Interconnections) was awarded to Barletta Heavy Division, Inc. in July, 2009 at a cost of $48 million. The project's Design Engineer is Jacobs Civil, Inc.

This project is part of MWRA's Integrated Water Improvement Program.