Cayce moving to improve water service in older neighborhoods

Cayce is preparing to upgrade water service in many of its oldest neighborhoods plagued at times by rusty water.

Plans call for replacing 50 miles of water lines – about three-fourths of the total in the Lexington County city of 13,000 residents – by fall 2018.

“Certainly it’s ambitious, but it’s needed,” said Bill Bingham of American Engineering, the company that designed the project and will oversee installation.

The $25 million project will improve not only quality, but water flow and fire protection as well, Mayor Elise Partin said.

Work will occur in stages in the Avenues, Broad Acres and Edenwood neighborhoods, as well as commercial areas along Knox Abbott Drive, Frink Street and Julius Felder Street.

Installation is due to start in February, with tentative plans for work to proceed a block at a time in separate neighborhoods.

Some water lines being replaced date as far back as the 1920s, officials said. “They’ve exceeded what can be deemed as their useful life,” Bingham said.

Rust accumulated inside many lines, fouling taste and reducing flow, officials said.

Installation of new lines will occur mainly along street shoulders, but as many as 65 yards may be crossed, Bingham said.

Water service won’t be interrupted except for brief periods when connections are made to new lines, he said.

More hydrants also will be installed, an addition that city officials say could lead to lower insurance rates for homes and businesses.

The project is the second recent major improvement in city utility service, following a larger sewage disposal facility opened in 2012.

New lines and related facilities such as a storage tank and 3,900 meters will be paid for primarily with a low-interest state loan for drinking water improvements.

This story was originally published November 24, 2016 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Cayce moving to improve water service in older neighborhoods."