Modernizing Water Infrastructure
February 3, 2023Modernizing Water Infrastructure
Fish Curtain on the Connecticut
Editor: Allison Braswell
An aging 1938 pump station on the Connecticut River is nearing the end of its useful life, including the three river crossing pipes that carry wastewater from the pump station to the appropriate wastewater treatment facility. Because of the sewage system's poor state, there have been instances of rainwater forcing sewage to overflow into the river and complaints of substandard drinking water quality. Springfield Water & Sewer Commission knew they needed to act promptly to improve service reliability for Bay Staters and accommodate future growth in the region.
Beginning in 2019, the York Street Pump Station and Connecticut River Crossing Project is one of the largest wastewater projects to take place in the region in decades. The scope of work is to build a new and modern pump station and install two new 42" HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipelines and one 72" PCCP (Pre-stressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe) pipeline across the river. J.F. White is installing the three 1,200' (ft) pipes and covering them with an articulated concrete revetment mat. These additions will help reduce combined sewer overflow discharges into the Connecticut River during storms by around 100 million gallons a year. But what measures are taken to protect the habitat and local species during the process? This is where the experts at ICE® come into play.
Due to minimal depth of river bedding, J.F. White chose the ICE® 44 Vibratory Hammer to drive H-beams into the glacial till that will support turbidity curtains. The purpose of the curtains is to minimize sediment from dispersing away from the construction zone and mitigate fish migration into the work zone the endangered short-nose sturgeon that resides in the Connecticut River. The full-depth fish/turbidity curtains were installed upstream of the HP14x117 piles and secured to the pile as needed. A challenge the J.F. White team has faced is the significant river current from storms ranging from 6,000 CFS to 45,000 CFS that would cause the curtain to transfer the pushing force of the river to the piles, raising the risk of damage to them. To offset this issue, the team made a wise choice of using the ICE® IP-7 Hydraulic Hammer to further drive the piles and make sure they are secure enough to withstand the river current after storm and ice events.
Construction is set for completion in Spring 2023. International Construction Equipment, Inc is proud to support J.F. White's efforts to keep Connecticut River clean while creating additional pumping capacity for Springfield and surrounding cities.
Learn more about the ICE® 44D and ICE® IP-7.
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