Auburn is facing a major water infrastructure decision after engineers warned that a nearly century-old transmission main tied to the Franklin Street reservoir is leaking and the city’s system lacks the redundancy needed if the reservoir has to be taken offline.
The project could cost millions, but city officials say the stakes are larger than a single pipe or tank. The Franklin Street reservoir is a critical part of a water system serving about 45,000 people in Auburn and surrounding communities.
1. The problem started with a leaking transmission main
Director of Municipal Utilities Seth Jensen said the city began investigating the issue last fall after chlorine was detected coming from the ground near Franklin Street Road in the town of Sennett.
City crews excavated the area and found multiple small leaks in a 30-inch transmission main leading to the Franklin Street reservoir.
Other sections of the main have been replaced over the years, including work completed in 2012 and additional improvements dating back to the 1980s. But the section now under review dates to around the 1930s, when the reservoir was first built.
Engineers said the aging steel pipe is located on steep terrain and in deep ground, making repairs difficult. Their recommendation is to replace about 500 feet of the line rather than continue trying to patch it.
2. The reservoir is usable but needs work
The Franklin Street reservoir is a 10 million-gallon underground concrete storage structure that plays a central role in Auburn’s water system.
GHD engineers told City Council the reservoir was inspected remotely earlier this year and appeared to be in better condition than expected. Still, they said it needs to be drained, cleaned and physically inspected from the inside.
The reservoir also needs concrete rehabilitation, valve and gate replacements, and repairs to internal baffle walls that help manage water movement inside the structure. Engineers said those walls show signs of deterioration, which can affect water circulation and quality.
The problem is that nearly all of those improvements require the reservoir to be taken out of service.
3. Taking the reservoir offline creates risk
Auburn’s water system is relatively simple by design. Treated water is pumped into the distribution system, and the Franklin Street reservoir helps maintain pressure as demand rises and falls throughout the day.
If water use is lower than pumping, the reservoir fills. If demand increases, the reservoir drains. That balance helps stabilize pressure across the system.
Without the reservoir, the lower pump station near the water filtration plant would have to meet system demands on its own. Engineers said the pump station is reliable under normal conditions but is not designed to fully replace the reservoir.
The station cannot meet all demands with the reservoir out of service, lacks automatic standby power, cannot run more than one pump at full speed on generator power and does not currently operate based on real-time system pressure.
Jensen said the city’s emergency planning previously assumed the lower pump station could carry the system if the reservoir was offline. The engineering review showed that would not be adequate for a longer outage, especially during fire flow demands or a major water main break.
4. Three options are on the table
Engineers presented three possible approaches.
The first option, estimated at $12.65 million, would add a new 500,000-gallon storage tank, make minor upgrades to the lower pump station, rehabilitate the existing reservoir and replace the transmission main.
The second option, estimated at $9 million, would upgrade the lower pump station so it could better serve the system directly while the reservoir is offline. It would also include reservoir rehabilitation and pipe replacement. But engineers warned that approach could increase pressure in older parts of the distribution system and potentially trigger more water main breaks.
The third option, estimated at $23 million, would replace the existing reservoir with a new 5 million-gallon precast concrete reservoir and replace the transmission main. It would provide more system redundancy and flexibility, but the cost and construction challenges are significantly higher.
Jensen said the city is expected to pursue grant funding based on the first option because it provides backup storage and gives the city enough bonding authority to cover the higher-cost alternative if needed.
5. Grant funding will drive the next steps
City officials are pursuing a state Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant that could provide up to $5 million for the project.
The timeline is tight. The city has already started the environmental review process. Council is expected to consider bonding steps in July so the city can meet a July 27 grant application deadline.
Grant awards are expected in November. If Auburn receives funding, full design work could begin late this year or early next year.
Mayor James Giannettino Jr. said the project would not come from the city’s general fund or directly increase the property tax levy. Instead, it would be funded through the water system and spread across the broader customer base.
Jensen said the city still has to weigh the options, but doing nothing is not a safe long-term strategy. The transmission main is already leaking, and a larger failure could leave Auburn trying to operate a major regional water system without its primary storage reservoir.
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