Liberty Utilities, a private water company that operates the water and sewer system in Litchfield Park, Arizona, was experiencing red water complaints and a decrease in available fire flow. The piping system in question was 6-inch cast iron main approximately 2,830 feet in length installed in the late 1950s. There were 31 houses connected to this line.
Carollo Engineers was hired to evaluate the existing piping system and recommend replacement and rehabilitation alternatives. The object was to minimize both the impact and cost of the project.
Felix Construction was hired to perform the excavation and pipe work. They contracted with Triton Lining Systems to clean the pipes and line them with epoxy. An above-ground bypass system was installed to maintain service. Tuberculation, scale and buildup was removed using Triton’s cleaning process. The pipes were dried and inspected, and then internally spray lined with Triton’s centrifugal spincast process. The process applies an NSF61 certified epoxy resin at a computer-controlled rate. This ensured the lining was applied evenly around the full circumference and along the entire length of the pipe section.
Following the resin cure time, the lining was inspected for quality assurance, then chlorinated and returned to service. The project was complete in four weeks. All complaints have ceased, and fire flows have been restored. The city and taxpayers realized a cost savings of approximately 40 percent over traditional excavation. 407/928 9339; www.tritonpipelining.com.
