California Water Service Company Sliplines 5,280 LF Water Main in Atherton, California with Fusible C-905® Pipe

In early 2008, California Water Service Company (Cal Water) was interested in evaluating Fusible PVC™ pipe for a slipline project being designed for its Bear Gulch District near Atherton, CA: a 5,280 LF 20" riveted steel water line slated for rehabilitation later that year. To investigate the suitability of using Fusible PVC™ pipe for its project, the Cal Water design and operations team visited the City of Santa Rosa to observe Fusible C-905® pipe being installed in a slipline project.

After witnessing the field installation and speaking with several local references who had already installed Fusible PVC™ pipe systems (including the City of Santa Cruz, the City of Santa Rosa, and the City of Sunnyvale), Cal Water elected to include 16" DR25 Fusible C-905® pipe as an alternate pipe material option to 16" DR11 HDPE pipe. During the design phase, however, it became evident that the increased inner diameter (ID) of the 16" DIPS Fusible C-905® pipe (15.9") would provide approximately 30% more flow than the 12.9" ID of 16" HDPE pipe at the required 160 psi pressure class. Fusible C-905® also allowed for longer pull lengths, which was important given the high cost of pavement repair in the Town of Atherton. Equally important to the District was the compatibility of Fusible C-905® pipe with standard mechanical joint (MJ) fittings with gripper style restraints, which reduced installation costs versus the HDPE alternative. Finally, the increased ID of the Fusible PVC™ pipe would increase capacity and reduce annual energy costs for pumping.

Given the increased capacity and lower construction and long term operating costs, Cal Water chose to bid and construct the project using only Fusible C-905® pipe.

Scott Wagner, an Engineer with Cal Water commented: "This was our first Fusible PVC™ project of sizable length, and we had a very positive experience working with UGSI. They were very responsive to all of our questions and provided very good engineering support during design and construction. They were very professional during construction and worked with West Valley Construction to complete their portion of work in a timely manner and to ensure the pipe and joints were of high quality. Our project was a success and we would definitely work with UGSI again."

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