Denver Water Rehabilitates Vrain St. Waterline by Pipe Bursting with Fusible C-900® Pipe

Denver Water recently worked with Consolidated Mutual Water Company to install 1,300 LF of 8" Fusible C900® to replace a distribution main along Vrain St. between 17th Ave. and Colfax Avenue. Denver Water installed the new PVC line by using the pipe bursting method of installation. Encouraged by success of other pipe bursting projects in the metro area, including the large scale pipeline replacement program undertaken by Consolidated Mutual Water, Denver Water piloted the installation method successfully and found meaningful cost savings.

Denver Water compared typical open cut installation costs against pipe bursting and found savings in time and money. Denver Water will confirm the installation savings when they do another pipe burst installation for Cherry Hills this summer. The utility commented that pipe bursting appears to be an efficient and cost effective way to replace water mains and is currently working on a standard pipe bursting installation procedure that can be a reference for others.

Pipeline Details and Project Summary
Owner:	Denver Water
Project:	Vrain St. Waterline
Location:	Denver, CO
Pipe:	1,300 LF of 8" DR18 Fusible C-900®
Installation:	Pipe Bursting
Use:	Potable Water
Testing:	150 psi for 2 hours

Denver Water used Fusible PVC™ pipe as the replacement pipe based on its corrosion resistance, material strength, and ease of connection with standard DI connections. Denver Water has used Fusible PVC™ pipe for HDD (horizontal directional drill) installations for new lines ranging from 6" to 20" in diameter for potable water, reuse water, and casings around the metro area. Pipe bursting with Fusible PVC™ pipe provides a technique for high quality water main rehabilitation with little risk and strong economics � especially desirable in these budget constrained times.

Don Wyman (Distribution Engineering, Denver Water) mentioned to Susan Pilgram of UGSI that, "We look forward to working with you on future pipe bursting projects and the further development of the [pipe-bursting] program."

Temporary Service Line

Bursting Entry Pit

Expander Head Entering Host Pipe

Cast Iron Pipe Fragments

Connections - Standard DI

Completed Project - Minimal Asphalt Restoration

Underground Solutions (UGSI) provides infrastructure technologies for water/wastewater applications, and conduit for applications ranging from electrical to fiber optics. UGSI's Fusible PVC™ products, including Fusible C-900®, Fusible C-905® and FPVC®, contain a proprietary PVC formulation that, when combined with UGSI's patented fusion process, results in a monolithic, fully-restrained, gasket-free, leak-free piping system. UGSI's Duraliner™ is a patented, close-fit pipeline renewal system creating a stand-alone structural liner.