Wastewater Line Upgrade Methods Reduce Disruption

The City is employing some new methods that will minimize disruptions when replacing underground wastewater lines in neighborhoods. Upgrades of more than 4.5 miles of wastewater lines are planned over the next 10 months.

One replacement method called pipe-bursting uses a boring machine with a 10-inch-diameter drill head that removes old 8-inch clay lines. As the pneumatic boring machine drills out the old pipe it pulls through new polyethylene pipe to replace it. The pipe-bursting method does not require extensive trenching to remove old lines. The work will cause some noise and excavation, but the impact will be much less than full trenching to remove and replace old lines.

A second wastewater line repair method entails even less disruption. The cured-in-place method inserts a cloth tube into the existing line. Hot steam is blown into the cloth tube, inflating it inside the line. The hot steam cures a resin material in the cloth and turns it into a hardened PVC pipe. The cured-in-place repair method uses a manhole to access wastewater lines and requires no excavation.

The pipe replacement work is part of the City’s Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone work to replace aging sewer lines.

Line inspection work prior to repairs started last week in the Oak Crest area along Spring Valley Road, Northcross Road, Southcross Road, and River Road. Line inspections in Old Town along Main Street and College Street are scheduled this week.

Starting late this year and continuing through July 2015, wastewater line repair and replacement work will be scheduled in a number of neighborhoods including Oak Crest, Old Town, Summercrest, San Gabriel Heights, San Jose, River Ridge, Georgetown South Commercial Park, and the North Georgetown Addition.