1. High Performance Water Distribution System Renewal
Squaw Valley Municipal
Water Authority
June 7-9, 2006
2. TRICTools
THE TRENCHLESS PIONEERS
™
TECHNICAL ARCHIVES
PROJECT LOG
DATE
June 7–9, 2006
CLIENT
Squaw Valley Mutual Water Company
Olympic Valley, CA
CONTRACTORS
Randy Dresselhaus, Tim Longo, TRIC Tools, Inc.
7. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 6
Entry pit, 150 feet down slope between Sandy Way and Lanny Lane.
8. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006
Bill the Bartender (and Tim Longo crew member) at shutoff valve in entry pit. 4” AC sewer line runs above water main.
11. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 10
Squaw Valley Mutual Water officials Bruce McCubbrey (far left) and Les Wilson with project engineer Henry Veizades.
14. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 1
When section of 6” AC water pipe is removed between shutoff valve and entrance point, water pressure pushes 6” X 4” valved
intersection apart and floods entrance pit.
20. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 1
4” AC water service line cracked when valve intersection at 6” line moved with water pressure.
21. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 20
Water officials and project engineer inspect existing valves and connections.
22. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 21
Removing dresser coupling on 4” AC section. Note how pressure thrust moved entire valve intersection, as indicated by dis-
placement of 4” pipe at break in upper right of image.
23. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 22
New valves arrive at site by evening. Local water has been shut off for over four hours.
24. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 2
New 6” valves are installed on both sides of 6” X 4” intersection.
25. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 2
Two sections of 6” PVC pipe are used as a temporary brace against water pressure opposite valve assembly, and neighborhood
water service is restored by about 9:00 PM.
26. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 2
Thursday June 8: Bill and Kevin attach fiberglass duct rod to pneumatic hose, to assist insertion of hose inside new HDPE service
line (black pipe at upper left). One end of the hose attaches behind impactor at lower left, while the other end attaches to a high
capacity compressor.
27. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 26
Hoses attached. HDPE pipe will slide over impactor and internal collar behind bursting head.
28. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 2
External collar is pounded over clean-cut edge of SDR17 pipe. The pipe specified for the job here is SDR9, while the head as-
sembly is sized for SDR17. Therefore a short stub of the latter is fused to the former. Impactor assembly slides inside pipe.
29. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 2
Holes are drilled using external collar as a guide, then head assembly slides inside pipe and allen screws secure pipe to head.
32. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 1
Bursting head enters under static load first—using hydraulic puller only from opposite pit—and then impacter is employed
when tension on pulling cable is sufficient.
33. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 2
Pliers are used to assist worn upper grippers. Pliers clamp onto cable, and as ram rises, gripper yokes run against pliers, driving
the grippers into set position around cable. This technique can be used for both upper and lower grippers.
34. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006
Pull moving steadily. Dresser couplings on existing line offer little resistance to combined static/impact equipment.
35. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006
Middle pit (at leak beside upper driveway) is reached, and pneumatic hose is not long enough to cross Sandy Way above. Pull-
ing cable is detached from head, and impactor assembly is pulled out. Bursting head is attached to another section of fused
pipe, and a second pull will enter at middle hole and cross Sandy Way to exit pit.
40. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006
After pulling assembly is removed from exit pit, bursting head is dragged free using excavator.
41. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 0
Chain is then wrapped just behind head, and new pipe is pulled across pit towards uphill pipe segment (blue).
42. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006 1
Randy cuts at fusion joint between SDR17 stub and SDR9 high-pressure water line.
44. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006
Supporting pipe for electro-fusion process. Unsupported joints may sag during heating due to heavy dresser couplings.
45. SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: JUNE 2006
Final coupling is fired in lower pit while new pipe is connected to valve assembly to maintain alignment and exact length. Rags
are inserted in new pipe above coupling before fusion, to absorb residual chlorine solution and keep fusion absolutely dry.
When line is brought up to pressure, water will flush rags up to exit pit for retrieval.