Ohio City Selects PVC Pipe for Emergency Renovation Project

HAMILTON, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2009 – The city needed to act swiftly to address a 24-inch water transmission main in need of replacement. The long-term and more economical solution was a 20-inch fusible PVC pipe slipline installed inside the existing 24-inch water transmission main.  

The existing spiral wound, welded steel pipe had deteriorated, and developed pinhole leaks throughout the 4,500-foot line. Combined with a highway widening project nearing completion, Hamilton officials evaluated multiple renewal options, including traditional cut replacement and several trenchless rehabilitation options.  

Two trenchless renewal options were seriously considered -- installing a tight-fit liner that would rely in part upon the deteriorating host pipe for structural integrity, or installing a fusible PVC pipe line inside the existing line.  The PVC slipline was chosen as a long-term solution that had stand-alone integrity, and made the project cost approximately $400,000 lower than the alternative material based on the bids submitted to the city.  

Underground Solutions, headquartered in Poway, Calif., supplied the pipeline, and Howell Contractors of Ft. Wright, Ky.,installed it.  

Paul Bricking, Vice President of Howell Contractors, led the project. Upon its completion, he commented, "We were able to achieve a single uphill pull of 2,100 feet of PVC pipe, which saved us considerable time and money by not having to dig extra pits in the highway."  

Jim Collins, with the city of Hamilton, said, "Sliplining with Fusible PVC pipe saved us considerable time and money on this emergency replacement project. Howell Contractors and Underground Solutions kept the project on schedule and within budget. We will definitely be considering fusible PVC pipe for future projects."  

Greg Bocchi, President of The Vinyl Institute, remarked, "While they had to act quickly, the city of Hamilton appears to have carefully weighed the options to solving their water infrastructure problem and found PVC pipe to be the best solution."  

He continued, "Infrastructure repair is a key concern of the incoming Obama administration.  As we continue to lose 2.2 trillion gallons of treated water each year because of leaks from aging, corroded metal pipes, we all need to encourage our representatives on Capitol Hill on the importance of water infrastructure repair with PVC pipes that do not corrode and provide maximum performance over a long period of time."  

The Vinyl Institute represents the leading manufacturers involved in the production of PVC vinyl in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC and vinyl products to society.   

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
(703) 741-5669
jeff_palmer@plastics.org   

Also go to: www.vinylindesign.com and www.vinylinfo.org.