One pipe moved and the other needed inspection.

An official from the Bristol County Water Authority recently said water mains running underneath the Barrington River Bridge and the White Church Bridge need some attention.

BCWA Executive Director Pamela Marchand said the water main under the Barrington River Bridge, for reasons unknown, had moved during the winter months and twisted some hangers that hold the pipe in place. She also said that crews working on the White Church Bridge replacement project had wrapped insulation around the new water main under that bridge without first notifying the water authority.

"They did it before we had a chance to check it," Ms. Marchand said. "They were moving right along."

The executive director said crews had been scheduled to address the issues at both bridges, and added that water service to BCWA customers would not be impacted during the work.

Meanwhile, the authority is continuing to replace old, deteriorating water mains across the East Bay. Ms. Marchand said a recent rate increase, and planned increases in the future, will pay for upgrades to the underground mains.

The executive director said some of the water mains in Barrington, Warren and Bristol are about 100 years old, while other pipes are 60 or 70 years old. Ms. Marchand said that some of the pipes installed in the 1940s and 50s are actually in worse shape than the older pipes because thinner cast iron was used at that time.

"The old cast iron," Ms. Marchand said, referring to the pipes that are 100 years old, "was better."

The water authority, which conducted a pipe replacement project in the Maple Avenue area of Barrington recently, is now installing a ductile iron pipe that carries a life-span of about 100 years. Ms. Marchand said the new pipe is thinner but is lined to reduce wear and tear. In some areas, the water authority is using a pipe that is both lined and wrapped in polyethylene, which reduces organic erosion under ground.

Ms. Marchand added that much of Barrington's water mains were installed in the 1940s and 50s and are made of the lesser quality cast iron.