Indiana American Water has completed a $24.5 million water transmission main project in Gary, Indiana, replacing more than 70-year-old pipe, upsizing the line to 24-inch and 36-inch mains, and removing more than 100 lead service lines along the corridor, the company reported on 6 October 2026 (American Water Newsroom). The work is substantially complete, with a final tie-in still to be made at the utility's Borman Park Water Treatment Plant.
Key takeaways
- Indiana American Water finished a $24.5 million transmission main project in Gary, announced 6 October 2026 (American Water Newsroom).
- The new build covers about 10,000 feet of water main (6,000 ft transmission, 4,000 ft distribution), upsized to 24-inch to 36-inch ductile iron and PVC (American Water Newsroom).
- More than 100 lead service lines connected to the project area were replaced during construction (American Water Newsroom).
- A final connection at the Borman Park Water Treatment Plant is the only remaining work item (American Water Newsroom).
- Indiana American Water says it invests more than $200 million annually in water and wastewater infrastructure across the state (American Water Newsroom).
What happened
Construction began approximately four years ago and centred on replacement of aging 16-inch and 20-inch transmission and distribution mains in Gary that had experienced frequent breaks and service disruptions (American Water Newsroom). The new pipeline moves treated water from Lake Michigan through the Borman Park Water Treatment Plant into the regional distribution network serving Northwest Indiana customers (American Water Newsroom).
Rex Construction served as the primary contractor, and ductile iron transmission pipe with PVC distribution mains were installed to provide what the utility describes as decades of reliable service (American Water Newsroom). The project is the subject of a separate, unrelated infrastructure announcement from West Virginia American Water, which on 8 October 2026 disclosed a $470,000 upgrade on Knollwood Drive in Charleston (American Water Newsroom).
"This project represents a significant investment in the long-term reliability of our water system," said Albert Turner, engineering project manager for Indiana American Water (American Water Newsroom). "Every service line connected to this transmission main that was identified as lead was replaced as part of this project," added Jacquelyne Byland, senior engineering manager (American Water Newsroom).
Reported scope at a glance
| Item | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Project cost | $24.5 million (American Water Newsroom) |
| Total new main | ~10,000 ft, of which 6,000 ft transmission, 4,000 ft distribution (American Water Newsroom) |
| Old pipe replaced | 16-inch and 20-inch mains, more than 70 years old (American Water Newsroom) |
| New pipe sizes | 24-inch to 36-inch (American Water Newsroom) |
| Lead service lines replaced | More than 100 (American Water Newsroom) |
| Primary contractor | Rex Construction (American Water Newsroom) |
| Status | Substantially complete; final tie-in at Borman Park WTP remaining (American Water Newsroom) |
Specification read
The reported scope converts to roughly 3,050 metres of new water main, with about 1,830 m of transmission main (24- to 36-inch ductile iron) feeding about 1,220 m of 4,000 ft of PVC distribution main downstream of the Borman Park Water Treatment Plant, and a $24.5 million capital envelope over a four-year build (American Water Newsroom). At typical municipal long-distance transmission main pricing, the implied installed cost falls in the order of several hundred dollars per foot, which is consistent with the urban corridor work, large-diameter ductile iron, and lead service line replacement bundled into one contract.
The event bears on the transmission/distribution stage of a surface-water treatment train (intake → Lake Michigan source → Borman Park WTP → transmission main → distribution network), and not on the screening, primary, biological, or tertiary/disinfection unit processes at the plant itself. No flow capacity in m³/day and no BOD, COD, TSS, nutrient, or permit limit was reported in the supplied source, so a unit-process or effluent-quality read is not possible from this release.
For a municipal utility evaluating a comparable reinvestment, the operational levers in this project are upsizing for fire-flow headroom and replacing lead service lines inside the construction corridor. If your plant serves a distribution network of comparable scale and is under pressure to remove lead service lines and lift fire-flow capacity, this is a reference for the kind of bundled transmission main, distribution main, and LSLR contract you would put out for bid, and the engineering interpretation here is that the bottleneck risk in this case sat in the pipe between the WTP and the system rather than in the treatment units.
For broader context on the treatment side of a utility capital programme, see our Industries We Serve hub and the Municipal sector page. For related reading on how plant owners are scoping tertiary upgrades and dissolved-air-flotation choices alongside capital projects, see this DAF vs Clarifier for EV/Auto Wastewater in Meridian: 2026 Factory Guide and the procurement-focused Advanced Nutrient Removal Treatment Construction Companies: 2026 Engineering Buyer's Guide.
FAQ
What was delivered?
A $24.5 million, roughly 10,000-foot water transmission and distribution main replacement in Gary, Indiana, including more than 100 lead service line replacements and a final tie-in at the Borman Park Water Treatment Plant still to be completed (American Water Newsroom).
Who built it and over what schedule?
Rex Construction was the primary contractor, with construction beginning approximately four years before the 6 October 2026 completion announcement (American Water Newsroom).
Why were lead service lines replaced as part of a main replacement?
Indiana American Water states that every service line connected to the transmission main that was identified as lead was replaced during the project, framing it as both a water-quality and public-health measure (American Water Newsroom).
What does this mean for a procurement lead scoping a similar bid?
The release highlights upsizing for fire flow and bundled lead service line replacement inside a single transmission main contract. A comparable bidder should expect the engineering interpretation to require coordination between ductile iron transmission installation, PVC distribution tie-ins, and LSLR paperwork, though unit costs and lead times beyond the reported $24.5 million total are not given in the supplied source.
