GARY, Ind. — Indiana American Water has substantially completed a $24.5 million water transmission main project in Gary, the company said Oct. 6, finishing four years of work replacing mains more than 70 years old.
Key facts
- Indiana American Water announced Oct. 6, 2026, the substantial completion of a $24.5 million water transmission main project in Gary, Ind., with only a final connection remaining. — Indiana American Water
- Crews replaced 16-inch and 20-inch mains more than 70 years old with 24-inch to 36-inch ductile iron transmission mains and PVC distribution mains, about 10,000 feet of new pipe: 6,000 feet of transmission main and 4,000 feet of distribution main. — Indiana American Water
- More than 100 lead service lines identified in the project area were replaced. — Indiana American Water
- The old transmission main had broken numerous times over the years, disrupting operations across the distribution system, said Albert Turner, the company's engineering project manager. — Indiana American Water
- Rex Construction served as the primary contractor on the $24.5 million job. — Underground Construction
- One connection remains: the final tie-in at the Borman Park Water Treatment Plant, which treats Lake Michigan water for the regional network. — Indiana American Water
What was built
Crews replaced aging 16- and 20-inch pipe with 24- to 36-inch mains across about 10,000 feet of new main in Gary, the company said. Six thousand feet is transmission main, the large-diameter pipe that moves treated water from the Borman Park plant into the region; the other 4,000 feet is distribution main feeding neighborhood service lines.
The new transmission mains are ductile iron and the distribution mains are PVC. Indiana American Water says the larger pipe increases flow, strengthens fire protection capacity and supports future demand growth.
The old transmission main had broken numerous times over the years, and each break rippled through operations across the distribution system, Albert Turner, the company's engineering project manager, said in the announcement. "This project represents a significant investment in the long-term reliability of our water system," Turner said.
The project also replaced more than 100 lead service lines inside the project footprint, the pipes that connect homes to the main. "Every service line connected to this transmission main that was identified as lead was replaced as part of this project," said Jacquelyne Byland, senior engineering manager for Indiana American Water. "Part of this project was focused on modernizing our infrastructure and addressing facilities that had multiple needs for repairs," Byland said. Rex Construction was the primary contractor on the job, Underground Construction reported.
The work is part of the company's commitment to invest more than $200 million a year in water and wastewater infrastructure across Indiana, the company said. Indiana American Water serves about 1.5 million people.
Indiana American Water says the new mains modernize infrastructure serving Northwest Indiana customers and improve reliability and fire-protection capacity. The last step is a tie-in at the Borman Park Water Treatment Plant, which treats Lake Michigan water before it enters the regional network.
Photo credit
- Hero: File photo: crews dig a trench for a water main replacement at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., in 2014. Photo: NAVFAC / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0
- Inline 1: Indiana American Water's 1910 water tower north of Jefferson Park in downtown Gary. Photo: Takingactioningary / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0
- Inline 2: Dunes along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Marquette Park, Gary. Photo: Peter Greenberg / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0