Q. Currently, Carpenter Rd. is dug up, and there is a long, light blue plastic tube, maybe six inches wide, lying on the sidewalk on one side of the road. A couple of years ago, I noticed the same thing when they were working on Packard east of Carpenter. What are they are doing?

A. The water mains in our area ain’t getting any younger. Installing a new main is tough: either the old one has to be dug out to make room, or else a new path must be excavated through many underground obstacles. A more economical approach is to apply a layer of new material inside the old pipes.

That’s what Pittsfield Township is doing on Carpenter. The blue pipe provides water service while the main is being repaired.

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