Wisconsin's Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District called for public input for their West Interceptor Rehabilitation - Gammon Extension to Pumping Station 5 project, which will rehabilitate the lining of the 87-year-old Lake Mendota Drive pipe and the 54-year-old Stoughton Road pipe. The project will address corrosion, improve flow, and prevent infiltration of groundwater to extend the life of the pipes.
The lining will be inserted through manholes, with each segment requiring 16-20 hours to complete. While the new pipe is installed and cured, wastewater from the existing pipe will be bypassed through hoses with lengths up to 1,000 feet or more that run through the center of the street. The Stoughton Road project will use a slightly different technology involving a fitted pipe liner. The existing sanitary pipe in this area runs within the railroad corridor so the work is expected to draw less attention.
Since the cured-in-place process does not require digging, it is less costly, time consuming, and disruptive than traditional open-cut methods. Although the installation does not require excavation, residents can expect to see refrigeration trucks, boilers, pumps, and generators at the jobsite. The boilers provide steam to harden or cure the lining in place and refrigeration trucks are needed to keep the lining cool during storage to prevent premature curing. Public hearings were held on Sept. 5 to discuss noise variances needed for the bypass pumps and other equipment to operate intermittently between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The projects reflects the district’s efforts to maintain aging infrastructure in a way that protects public health and the environment while delivering reliable services at an acceptable cost. Public engagement with district projects is important to identify concerns as well as opportunities to improve results for area residents.
“We anticipate these projects will each take about a month to complete, with the projects getting underway sometime between October 2018 and May 2019,” says Bruce Borelli, director of engineering for the district. “We’re interested in hearing from community members about any concerns they may have regarding the noise variance. As with any infrastructure rehabilitation project, there will be some disturbance but far less than with a rebuild.”