The City of Kent’s water distribution system supplies roughly 3 million gallons of water to its customers per day. The distribution system is divided into two pressure districts, high pressure and low pressure.

Water is pumped to the high service area from a booster station to elevated storage tanks on the west side of Kent State University. The high pressure is isolated and maintained in the distribution system piping through the use of check valves.

The low service area is supplied directly from the water treatment plant. The high/low pressure boundary is mainly around the campus neighborhood and east on S.R. 59.

Currently there are ten (10) direct buried check valves which isolate the high pressure area from the low pressure area. These check valves allow water to flow from the low service area to the high during emergency or peak demand situations; i.e. supplying hydrants during a fire.

As a part of this improvement project, the existing check valves, installed in the 1960’s, will be removed and replaced in a vault that will provide access for periodic inspection and maintenance.

Also, as a part of this project, additional check valves will be installed to reduce the high service area. There currently exists a section of the distribution system, on the northeast side of the City that could be transferred to the low-pressure district through the addition of check valves. Transfer of this area to low pressure will reduce pumping costs.