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Workers closed down a block of Market Street Wednesday as more than 40 Indiana street commissioners watched the relining of a 125-year-old section of Warsaw's sewer system.
Proform Pipe Lining Inc., Mishawaka, conducted the sewer maintenance and demonstrated rehabilitation products to commissioners during the annual Indiana Street Commissioners Convention, which Warsaw hosted Wednesday and today.
The sewer relining consisted of forcing a coil of needle-woven material through the 9-feet-deep existing clay tile sewer system. The tile had been used since the sewer's installation in the late 1800s.
Once the new material was set inside the desired area of replacement, workers flushed hot water through the coil to activate a chemical reaction to harden the material.
The flushing process for Market Street took two hours to complete. After the procedure, cold water ran through the system to rinse the material and ready it for public use.
"For the most part, this is a much better option compared to digging and replacing a sewer system because we're in and out so quickly," Marc Campbell, of Proform, said. "It's a great option for the city, because streets aren't shut down for long periods of time, and we don't affect utilities or landscaping in the area."
The lining operation for the sewer was not the reason for closing of Market Street. Warsaw Street Commissioner Lacy Francis said the road was closed to display the procedure for the commissioners convention and educate attendants on various options of sewer rehabilitation.
Francis said he was pleased with Proform's work and would be using them in the near future.
"We'll be using this technique on the adjacent intersections of Market, but the street won't be blocked off during these other processes," Francis said. "We'll have at least one lane of traffic open while they get that work done."
Francis said certain areas of Warsaw's sewer system consisted of two layers of brick, which workers constructed after World War II. These areas will be considered to be replaced, but no decision as yet is made.
