Fairfield Hills Campus

Newtown, CT

H2M designed a full replacement of the Fairfield Hills Campus’ water distribution system — a system in operation since 1933 when the campus was Fairfield State Hospital.

With the frequent appearance of brown water via potable water sources at the Fairfield Hills Campus, the Town of Newtown had to devote resources to regularly flush the water distribution system. As this cycle continued, H2M was hired to design a complete replacement of the Fairfield Hills Campus water distribution system, which had been in operation for approximately 90 years.

The design entailed a total of 9,000 linear feet of 8- and 12-inch diameter high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping — a cost-efficient design choice that will save the Town on overall project cost — accounting for the partial operation of the existing water main during the installation of the new main, H2M to created a bidding and construction schedule with the Town while coordinating the design of a critical supply well rehabilitation. Both designs required coordination with the local and state departments of health to ensure that water quality regulations and requirements were followed during development. The infrastructure incorporated into the design along with the water mains included hydrant and water service connections, fittings, gate valves, and fire protection systems.

While the Town had approved the well rehabilitation project, it was determined that the measures needed exceeded their budget. To accommodate this, H2M has broken up the well rehabilitation into a series of smaller projects that will be performed as the Town has the financial resources available to move forward. The water main project is currently set to advance into the bidding stage. When the project is complete not only will the Campus’ water quality and distribution capabilities be improved, but quality water will be available to a renovated downtown area replacing dilapidated buildings adjacent to the Campus that were also once part of Fairfield Hospital.