Fusible PVC™ is Awarded Project of the Year by Trenchless Technology

The 2010 Trenchless Technology Project of the Year for New Installation brought together everything that is exciting about a challenging project: teamwork, tough subsurface conditions, challenging logistics and drilling under water over a great distance that sets a new standard for pipe performance.

All of these elements successfully converged in New Jersey in spring 2010, resulting in a 5,365-ft HDD project that brought customers of the Middlesex Water Co. a new 24-in. fusible PVC water main that was able to be installed quickly, efficiently and perhaps, more importantly, cost-effectively. Project officials also note that this project set a world-record for distance using 24-in. FPVC.

The project took place in a largely urban area in central New Jersey in Perth Amboy and Sayreville. An overwhelming majority of the project (some 4,800 ft) took place under the Raritan River and adjacent marshland…


Read more of the article at http://www.undergroundsolutions.com/articles/TT-2010-Project-of-the-Year%20Winner.pdf

6,400 LF Pull of 16” FPVC® Pipe by Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority and Mears Group Extends Fusible PVC™ HDD Record

Less than three years after the record-setting 5,120 LF Secession Effluent Main project was successfully completed, Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA), Mears Group, Inc., and Underground Solutions, Inc. (UGSI) have set a new record for the longest single continuous horizontal directional drill (HDD) pullback of thermoplastic pipe.

In September 2008, BJWSA assumed ownership, operation, and maintenance responsibility for the water and wastewater systems at several local military facilities, including the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, SC. As part of the merger, all of the water and sewer utilities are undergoing upgrades and improvements. Due to restrictive Beaufort River discharge requirements, the military wastewater plants at the Air Station and Parris Island will be eliminated with flows diverted to the state-of-the-art Port Royal Island, SC Water Reclamation Facility.

Project: Military Wastewater Consolidation Project
Owner: Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority
Engineer: Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung (HGBD)
Contractor: Mears Group, Inc.
Location: Beaufort, SC
Length: 6,400 LF
Pipe Size: 16” DR18 FPVC®
Pressure Test: 150 psi for 4 hours
UGSI Contact: Gary Shepherd; gshepherd@undergroundsolutions.com

The new sewer force main from Parris Island was installed under Archer’s Creek and the surrounding marsh via HDD to ensure minimal impact to the environment. Mears Group mobilized in October 2009 with two drill rigs, prepared to use the intersect method to complete the pilot drill if necessary. Ultimately, the 6,400 LF pilot drill exited on target without requiring the use of intersect technology. The bore hole was reamed out in three passes to a 32” diameter, then prepared by swabbing with a barrel reamer to clear cuttings and reinject clean slurry.

On December 2, 2009, the 6,400 length of fused 16” DR 18 FPVC® pipe was positioned on rollers and pulled into place with an excavator. The pull head was then connected to the drill stem to begin the process of pulling the pipe from Horse Island, under Archer’s Creek, and onto Jericho Island. The pipe emerged during the predawn hours of December 3rd to the applause of the small group of interested bystanders and a much larger number of tired, but satisfied workers.

Ed Saxon, BJWSA Deputy General Manager, commented: “The force main leaving Parris Island became a real design challenge because the narrow causeway linking the mainland was off limits to construction. Open cutting across the salt marsh would also have been very difficult, even had it been possible to permit. BJWSA’s growing body of experience with long HDD installations and recent advances in the technology made drilling the only viable option. Fusible PVC™ pipe was the only practical alternative for us, and we’ve had great experience with Mears Group as well.”

Jennifer Oetgen with HGBD remarked: “The design was critical to a successful outcome; early onsite consultations with representatives from Mears and UGSI confirmed the viability of a 6,400 LF HDD, but the possibility of an intersect drill, staging that length of pipe, and working within the requirements of the military made this project particularly challenging and satisfying.”

New Fusible PVC Flow Calculator

Check out UGSI's new pipe flow calculator at the link below. This tool can be used to find head loss, pressure change, fluid velocity, and pumping costs for a variety of pipeline materials.

http://undergroundsolutions.com/pipe-flow-calculator.php

South Dakota Fusible PVC Project Sets a Record

In August 2009, King Contracting, Lincoln, Neb., completed a record-breaking horizontal directional drill (HDD) of 4,800 lin ft of 24-in. fusible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe under Lake Oahe near Wakpala, S.D. The HDD crossing was part of an 80-mi raw water transmission pipeline being constructed by the Standing Rock Rural Water Sioux Indian Tribe.

Crossing Lake Oahe was one of the most challenging aspects of constructing the new transmission line because of the lake's length and depth. The original design called for a 3,660-lin ft HDD installation beneath one of the lake's major tributaries. With a depth of nearly 100 ft, the design required 24-in. fusiblbe PVC pipe...

Read more at http://www.undergroundsolutions.com/articles/Opflow_01-10_Finished%20Water.pdf

Project Features Pipe Bursting with Fusible PVC™ Pipe System

"The massive Interstate 80 project to replace bridges and rebuild interchanges and roadway along this major east-west corridor has prompted other utility improvements along the way.

One of these—in South Salt Lake, Utah—involved replacement of an aging 18-inch asbestos-cement water transmission line beneath Roberts Avenue. As part of the Utah Department of Transportation’s State Street to 13th East Utility relocation project, the line was one of several water utilities targeted for upgrading due to potential settlement during the road project.
Pipe bursting was selected as the pipe replacement technology by the city and the engineering consultant, Horrocks Engineers (Pleasant Grove, Utah). The reasons were quick installation and the tightness of the site, and because asbestos-cement pipe can be problematic if excavated and removed. Pipe bursting would simply force the pipe fragments into the surrounding soil.

Fusible PVC pipe was chosen for the replacement pipe because of its reduced material costs..."

Read more at www.undergroundsolutions.com/ugsi-articles.php

Fusible PVC™ Sets New Record

Fusible PVC™ continues to set new records with this recent King Contracting 4800 LF 24” DR18 horizontal directional drill (HDD). The high tensile strength of Fusible C-905® allowed for the continuous 14 hour pull-in of the fused pipe under the Grand River inSouth Dakota. Fusible PVC™ joint strength and joint reliability have allowed for plastic pipe pull-ins that cannot be matched by other plastic pipe materials such as HDPE. Other long HDD continuous pull-ins without casings include:

• 5120 LF 10” Fusible PVC™ in Beaufort, SC
• 4400 LF 24” Fusible PVC™ in Johns Island, SC
• 3900 LF 8” Fusible PVC™ in Spirit Lake, ND
• 2600 LF 20” Fusible PVC™ in Mukilteo, WA
  

King Contracting also recently completed the 3900 LF continuous pull-in in Spirit Lake, ND.

Slipline and Save

"A growing number of communities in the Golden State are saving significantly on pipeline repair and rehabilitation projects by sliplining with fused polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe systems. Installation is fast and nondisruptive, and municipalities get more flow for their dollar..."

Read more of this article at:

undergroundsolutions.com

Interview in Stow, OH

Installation Videos

UGSI Launches New Website

Check out our new website at: www.undergroundsolutions.com


We have added new content:

• Engineering Information
• Installation Methods
• Pipe Material Comparisons
• Case Studies
• Request a Quote Form
• Frequently Asked Questions

PPI retracts cautionary advisory

In a one-sentence statement, the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) retracted the content of its June 11 news release in which the group issued a cautionary advisory regarding the integrity of fusible polyvinyl chloride (fusible PVC) pipe...

See the full story at: http://www.cenews.com/article.asp?id=3092

Fusible PVC Meets Challenge of Restricted Right-of-Way

by Mark Garlick and Brian McDowell

Like many small municipal water authorities, the Beech Creek Borough Authority in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, is always looking for ways to increase their revenues. Since the simplest way to do so is to enlarge their customer base (provided there is sufficient capacity), the authority was very willing to accommodate a developer’s request to extend service to a proposed six-lot residential subdivision.

Underground Solution Inc. provided the PVC pipe and its fusion services for the project.

However, with no existing water lines in the immediate area of the proposed development, the developer was required to design and construct approximately 600 linear feet of water line...

Read the full story at http://ww.pennnet.com

HDD & Fusible PVC Team for a West Virginia Sewer Project

Sharon M. Bueno — Jan 01, 2008

After learning that fusible PVC pipe can be a viable alternative for pipe installation, through various projects such as a wastewater force main in Bridgeport, W.Va., directional drillers from around the United States are starting to use this piping as part of their HDD projects. Upon successful completion of numerous projects utilizing fusible PVC, contractors show that the pipe and HDD can in fact work together.

H&H Enterprises, Andover, Ohio, was subcontracted by D&M Contracting Inc., New Alexandria, Pa., for the project that required 400 ft of 16-in. fusible PVC pipe to be installed via directional drilling under a creek and ravine. This pipe would connect to a new bell-and-spigot PVC line leading to a wastewater treatment plant. This bore was part of a larger project that was mostly using open-cut to provide sewer service to a new hospital...

See full story at:
http://www.trenchlessonline.com/index/webapp-stories-action?id=454

Contractor Says that This Marks the Longest Single HDD Crossing of Thermoplastic Pipe

Dec 01, 2007

Mears Group Inc. successfully installed a record-breaking 5,120-ft horizontal directionally drilled (HDD) crossing of 10-in. diameter fusible PVC pipe under the Beaufort River for Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA).

The pipe will connect the Port Royal Water Reclamation Facility with the Secession Golf Course in Beaufort, S.C. This project was completed on June 12 and marked the longest single HDD crossing of thermoplastic pipe in history.

Using fusible PVC is becoming more common in the industry, and with this successful crossing, it is a feasible and economical material for HDD crossings. BJWSA had considered alternative materials, including steel pipe and HDPE, but ultimately selected fusible PVC...

Read full story at http://www.trenchlessonline.com/index/webapp-stories-action?id=421

Underground Solutions Announces Fusible C-900 Projects

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2004

Underground Solutions, Inc. (Pink Sheets:UGSI) announced today that its Fusible C-900(TM) PVC is being installed on new waterline installation projects throughout the southeast. Indianapolis Water, LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana is completing an 8" Fusible C-900 waterline installation via horizontal directional drilling; the City of Eustis, Florida is completing an 8" Fusible C-900 waterline rehabilitation via a slip-lining method; Gainesville, Florida is installing an 8" Fusible C-900 waterline via horizontal directional drilling; the Jacksonville Electric Authority will be installing a 6" Fusible C-900 waterline via horizontal directional drilling, and Winter Park, Florida has purchased 8" Fusible C-900 for several waterline projects. UGSI's Fusible C-900 piping products were delivered...

Read the full story at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_/ai_n6042834