Hobas Preserves Sewers in Niagara Region

For residents Tonawanda, N.Y., a community of over 74,000 people, being stewards of the environment extends to the preservations of natural resources such as the nearby Ellicott Creek, which discharges into the Niagara River that flows north from Lake Erie draining into Lake Ontario. The river includes a prominent tourist destination, Niagara Falls.

Tonawanda was challenged recently to address their sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), which could have a significant effect on residents and the environment. To address the aging infrastructure problem, the town began a complex and cost-intensive program to abate numerous SSO’s, which can occur during wet weather events. In 2006, a major collapse occurred on the Parker-Fries Interceptor that required a costly repair and could have resulted in significant basement backups. This major interceptor became the first project in the town’s complex and cost-intensive program to address the poor overall condition of the sewers.

Tonawanda selected CRA Infrastructure and Engineering Inc., in Buffalo, N.Y., to develop a set of improvements for the Parker-Fries Interceptor Project. The comprehensive plan included considerations of the existing interceptor alignment, utility conflicts, Parker Pump Station operation, subsurface geotechnical conditions and impacts to the residents.

“Due to the size, complexity and cost of the project, the Parker-Fries Interceptor Project was split into four phases with implementation over approximately seven years,” stated Kenneth Maving, director of water resources for the town of Tonawanda. The town and CRA evaluated the possible large diameter piping options, and decided to include only Hobas pipe in the project specifications. It was important to find a product with a proven track record that would provide a long service life, including the leak-free capability of the product and its resistance to sulfuric acid, which gives Hobas a 100-year service life in a sanitary sewer environment.

Phase one of the Parker-Fries Interceptor Project was bid in February 2010 and awarded in June 2010. Kandey Company Inc. of West Seneca, N.Y., was awarded the $26.4 million project and construction began in the summer of 2010. The job was scheduled to last two years and was completed in July 2012. Kandey is a site and utility contractor specializing in civil engineering construction and has been providing services throughout the Buffalo and Western New York areas since 1984. Although they are experienced with utility installation, this was their first experience utilizing Hobas pipe. The installation included over 4,000 ft of 84-, 72- and 48-in. diameter sewer pipe installed by tunneling and 5,700 ft of 48-, 36- and 30-in. diameter installed by open cut. A 46-psi pipe stiffness product was supplied for the direct bury portion of the project, which ranged in depth from 10 to 30 ft. Hobas supplied flush joint jacking pipe in a variety of axial capacities for the portions of the project that were installed by direct jacking.

With the project now complete, all parties are pleased with the new interceptor and expect a 100-year service life.

Source: Hobas Pipe USA