BEAR GAP - Hundreds of trees are planned to be timbered in the Roaring Creek watershed as Aqua PA replaces a century-old waterline.
The trees stand directly along the access road of the Roaring Creek tract of the Weiser State Forest and are brightly marked by spray paint - surely a curiosity to the watershed's many visitors.
New waterline will be installed from the McWilliams Reservoir to Aqua PA's pump station of Route 54, approximately four miles.
"The pipelines that are being utilized right now are from original construction, probably back in the early 1900s," Patrick Burke, regional manager of the Roaring Creek Division of Aqua PA, said Sunday. "Certainly they lasted a good long time, that's why they've been around for 100 years.
"At a certain point in time you have to think about replacing them before they become problematic."
The existing pipes are cast iron. One portion is 14 inches in diameter; the other 18 inches. The new line would be much wider - 30 inches - and made of more durable ductile iron, he said.
The old lines would simply be abandoned, he said, since digging them up would cause greater disturbance of the forest land.
Timbering is being coordinated with Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Once construction work for the line is completed, the company will work with the state agency to create a new walking trail.
The project remains in the development phase and has not yet been put out to bid. Burke expects that it could lead to an uptick in employment for local construction workers.
Work on the new pipeline could begin in late 2013, he said.