Pipe Rehabilitation Lessons from the Trenches

It’s no secret that pipe rehabilitation is top of mind for water utilities, especially whenever a utility experiences multiple water main breaks in a short period of time that can lead to flooded basements and boil advisories.  This is exactly what happened to Capital Region Water (CRW) during one recent, unforgiving winter weekend.

CRW’s Pipe Rehabilitation Lessons Learned

CRW’s infrastructure in the Harrisburg, PA area is extremely old – the mains that failed were installed in the 1890s!  The company had already been planning to deploy significant pipe rehabilitation efforts even prior to the emergency, but the event accelerated these plans.

In order to minimize disruption to surfaces and traffic flows, as well as minimize costs, CRW homed in on utilizing cured-in place-pipe (CIPP) lining.  The company had previously used CIPP in sewer mains, but its installation within water mains was unknown territory due to differences in internal pressure.  The nuances around internal pressure necessitated the need for a stronger lining material, and fiberglass fit the bill perfectly.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of CIPP is that it does not require the entire roadway to be dug up – instead, only a few access pits are needed.  In addition, the work can be done at night, with the access pits being covered during the day, so normal traffic flows can remain unimpacted.

According to the article above, there are seven key lessons learned from CRW’s pipe rehabilitation efforts:

1. Always determine performance goals upfront, especially in terms of hydraulic and operating pressure requirements.
2. Carefully analyze all rehab methods to determine the optimal one for your situation as well as the conditions or attributes of the site where the work will take place.
3. Determine the details around structural and service connection configurations early on in the process.
4. Communicate frequently and clearly with customers who will be impacted, and provide them with alternative access to water if needed.
5. Consider the need to construct a temporary water system if needed.
6. Engage all external stakeholders early and often, such as fire departments, police departments, emergency responders, local political leaders, impacted homes and businesses, other utilities with infrastructure in the area, etc.
7. Consider bringing in a consulting company with expertise in your chosen method.

So, there you have it – seven lessons for your next pipe rehabilitation project.