This project demonstrated resourcefulness in planning and design as well as innovations during construction. It was carefully and safely constructed with consideration for delivering quality drinking water and completed on a very aggressive schedule. ~ ASCE Pittsburgh |
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By Heather Audet, P.E. The primary purpose of this project was to replace the existing community water supply wells with an intake on the Ohio River. The wells were located in the footprint of a multi-BILLION dollar industrial project and needed to move and were also in need of an update since they were almost 70 years old. The Center Township Water Authority needed to go from a groundwater source to the river, and additional treatment was also needed. As part of this design-build project, NTH worked with Trumbull Corp., the contractor, to come up with a design for a 3 million gallons per day (MGD) temporary water intake which was to come online during the construction of the 5 MGD permanent intake. The site is very small, and only has room for a 10-foot wide truck lane .
In addition, it was in the middle of an active slope failure, and had no utilities or existing access. One idea was to float some pumps on a barge in the river. The barge sunk when a large ice flow ripped a hole in the side. The new solution for the temporary intake was to construct a circular sheet pile shaft with the pumps all housed in a heated enclosure.
Once this was done, the team set to getting the permanent intake completed. The permanent intake was constructed using secant pile shaft with two intake pipes that were tunneled into the river. There is still plenty of work to happen on the permeant intake. Trumbull hasn’t bottomed out the shaft yet, but they are close, and the concrete shaft still needs to be poured. Then the mechanical equipment comes in. The river bank elevation is more than 300 feet lower than the water treatment plant, so really big pumps are needed to move the water up the hill for treatment and supply.
AWARD WINNING WORK!
This project has received two awards and its not even yet complete!
Some pictures from the project are included below:
In addition, it was in the middle of an active slope failure, and had no utilities or existing access. One idea was to float some pumps on a barge in the river. The barge sunk when a large ice flow ripped a hole in the side. The new solution for the temporary intake was to construct a circular sheet pile shaft with the pumps all housed in a heated enclosure.
Once this was done, the team set to getting the permanent intake completed. The permanent intake was constructed using secant pile shaft with two intake pipes that were tunneled into the river. There is still plenty of work to happen on the permeant intake. Trumbull hasn’t bottomed out the shaft yet, but they are close, and the concrete shaft still needs to be poured. Then the mechanical equipment comes in. The river bank elevation is more than 300 feet lower than the water treatment plant, so really big pumps are needed to move the water up the hill for treatment and supply.
AWARD WINNING WORK!
This project has received two awards and its not even yet complete!
- 2016 Industrial Project of the Year from the Engineering Society of Western Pennsylvania
- 2016 ASCE Pittsburgh Award of Merit
Some pictures from the project are included below:
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