HDPE pipe and HDD solve sanitary sewer back-up problem

The City of Calgary was faced with the challenge: It needed to provide an additional wastewater siphon across the Bow River to eliminate the frequent sewer backups that occurred during their heavy rain falls.
CH2M Hill and others looked at a variety of construction options and eventually decided on HDD using HDPE pipe due to the project constraints and the minimal environmental impact it would have on the project site. The project utilized approx. 1,650 feet of 30-inch HDPE pipe that met the criteria for pullback
with the ability to bend and to withstand the stresses of HDD.
The pipe was manufactured grey in color in accordance with the project specifications to aid in future CCTV inspections (light-colored HDPE pipe improves the reflective qualities and minimizes light scatter).
The entire 1,650 feet of HDPE pipe, weighing approx. 200,000 lbs, was assembled on-site,and then pulled through the borehole in two-and-one-half hours. This project has been ranked among the largest in Canada for installation of HDPE pipe using HDD.
Received September 17, 2004