Monstrous Project Nears the Finish Line

Nearly a year and more than 60 tons later, Louisville Water is nearing the finish line for a giant project to ensure Louisville Pure Tap® keeps flowing in south Louisville for the next century!

In August 2023, crews responded to a leaking water main near Manslick Road in the Iroquois Park area. That repair led to a monstrous endeavor to replace two 60-inch valves and one 30-inch valve that had been underground since the 1930s. Valves are like the stoplights of our distribution system: they help control the direction of water and can stop and start the flow.

The 60-inch main provides service to our Cardinal Hill Reservoir which pumps out millions of gallons of water to customers living in southwest Jefferson County including the Dixie Highway corridor. In January 2024, work began to replace the aging valves. This was not a small feat. A large crane was brought in to hoist the old pipes out of the ground. The 60-inch valves weighed more than 18 tons apiece! Two lighter valves were lowered into place.

Louisville Water is dedicated to delivering reliable, high-quality drinking water while also maintaining our infrastructure. Our crews managed to do both simultaneously with this project. They rerouted water to smaller mains which allowed them to work on replacing the old valves without shutting off water service to our customers.

Curious how we did it? Check out the video as inspector Dennis Pike gives you an up-close look at the process.