Three representatives from Interstate Engineering were guests at the Heights County Water Board work session, last Wednesday morning. In an over view of what the engineering company does for the water district a wide range of subjects were discussed, including the extent pipes must be replaced, progress of the two PERS (Preliminary Engineering Reports), status of the ARPA grant, etc.
At the end of an hour long discussion, Board President Doug Kary thanked the guests for coming and said that their information was very helpful.
Attending the meeting from Interstate Engineering were Brent Moore, Regional VP for the Western region of Interstate Engineering, Lowell Cutshaw, main engineer, and Brad Boehm, Plan Manager for the Heights.
According to Boehm, Interstate Engineering has been the water district’s “on-call engineer” since 2004. They have provided planning services such as Preliminary Engineering Reports, funding and grant coordination, mapping and GS system management, water model management, development, review, design, bidding and construction of infrastructure projects, and troubleshooting services.
Boehm talked about the two PERS that are in progress. One is a system wide PER, which he said is not a main focus at this time. It includes a storage analysis and an inventory of piping, focused on the presence of asbestos pipe in the district.
Boehm said that 45 percent of the system is asbestos pipe. There is a total of 556,100 feet of pipe in the district.
Another of their surveys is the aging of pipe throughout the district. Generally, said Boehm, pipe has a service span of about a hundred years. Eventually, the engineers will put together a schedule for pipe replacement for the district. “If you replace one mile of pipe a year it will take a hundred years,” he explained, “There is some catching up to be done. You have pipeline that is in the ground that is 70 years old.”
Boehm said that the district is fortunate in not having problems with the asbestos pipe eroding, like other jurisdictions do. Some of the asbestos pipe may have a service life of more than a hundred years. “The question is if, and when, the EPA will require that you get rid of the asbestos pipe.” He suggested that the district have a plan to gradually remove the pipe.
“But it will be a long term, ongoing project,” said Boehm. He recommended scheduling projects to upsize some pipes, specifically commenting on Wicks Lane, going to the west, which has been identified as a “choke point.” “That’s why we are looking … Read More Here.
