LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT Air Force embraces use of Fusible PVC® pipe and horizontal directional drilling

By: Ed Lobello, Underground Solutions, Inc.

angley Air Force Base (AFB) covers approximately 3,000 acres PROTECTED THE WETLAND AREAS & ALLOWED Lincluding 600 acres of wetlands just north of Virginia Beach, Virginia. BASE OPERATIONS TO CONTINUE WITH The base has a rich military history dating back to 1916 and is home to the MINIMAL DISRUPTION. 633rd Air Base Wing (originally referred to as the 633rd Combat support Group), the 27th Fighter Squadron and the One of the ductile iron pipelines that techniques to create a borehole under an 94th fighter squadron, the last of which crossed a vital runway area was failing obstruction or an area where excavation is included Eddie Rickenbacker, famed and needed attention. Borges reviewed the not desired. A new pipeline is then pulled WWII ace. Langley AFB has remained viable trenchless options to either repair, through this borehole and reconnected a necessary part of the United States replace or rehabilitate the pipeline and at either end. The new pipeline is then military base system. Rehabilitation found that horizontal directional drilling placed into service. This method limits and maintenance on base is a mission (HDD) used to install a new replacement excavation and surface disturbance priority due to the stress on its physical pipeline would best fit the challenges because reconnections to the old pipeline infrastructure thanks to the robust of the installation. HDD methodology are performed at entry and exit pits at training, support, and deployment uses steerable drilling equipment and either end of the new pipe being installed schedule of the base occupants. This is by HDD. This method drastically reduces especially true for the aging water and land disturbance and any subsequent sewer system. environmental or operational impacts. The base provides a great deal of With proper planning, HDD installations space for mission activity. The water and are performed while roads, parking lots, sewer system that supports that activity airstrips, and even rail lines are in use. is critical to daily support, however, Depending on conditions, restoration maintaining operations while addressing costs are minimized while pipe installation critical upgrades is essential to any productivity is enhanced. work being planned. Typically, aging HDD methods require a pipe material pipes would be dug up and replaced in and joint that can handle tensile loading as kind. “Dig and Replace” methods were well as adequate critical buckling pressure deemed by planners to be undesirable in to resist stresses created by drill fluids. multiple locations where environmental Kimley-Horn chose Fusible C900 PVC®® concerns as well as disruption of base pipe for use on the project. In consultation activity would not allow this approach. with the Langley AFB Civil Engineering To minimize environmental impact and office, Fusible C900 PVC® Pipe was offered operational disruption, Scott Borges for both Potable Water and Force Main of Kimley Horn Associates, the design replacement upgrades. Base personnel engineer for this rehabilitation effort, had Installation by HDD continues during Air Force were comfortable with the durability and to consider modern trenchless solutions. operations performance of Bell and Spigot C900

14 MASTT - MID ATLANTIC JOURNAL OF TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 2020 | WWW.MASTT.ORG Birdseye view of the airfield at Langley AFB generally. Fusible C900 PVC is well Final reaming and insertion of the Fusible PVC® pipe occurred simultaneously known for compatibility with standard waterworks fittings such as MJ connectors, saddle taps, and Ductile Iron valves. Since and client disruption. Wesley Dunks service on C900 does not require in-field of Atlantic Boring was one of the first fusion skills and equipment, maintenance Directional Drillers in the country to and operations personnel were on board install FPVC. He has since completed with Fusible PVC® pipe because they were countless miles of installations and well familiar with its use and maintenance. situated to take full advantage of the pull strength in order to ensure an efficient Fusible PVC® pipe is staged through a parking lot for just a few hours before installation begins and cost effective installation of both the water and force main pipes. Fusible PVC® pipe utilizes standard Once all the stakeholders were on board waterworks fittings with restrainer glands with the choice of HDD pipe, the design so tie-ins were simple with no special could move forward. fusion equipment or knowledge required. Initially, only a small section of pipe In all, Atlantic Boring installed over installed in the wetland area was planned 5,000 feet of 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch to be HDD. When Borges and the Air Fusible PVC® pipe on the project saving, Force considered the ease and economy time, risk, operational impact and cost. with which the HDD of Fusible PVC® pipe could be accomplished, they chose to ABOUT THE AUTHOR: install all the pipe using HDD and Fusible Ed Lobello is PVC® pipe. This choice not only protected responsible for Sales in wetland areas, but it also allowed base VA, DC, MD, DE, NJ operations to continue with minimal and Eastern PA. He disruption. Ultimately, given the site has 20 years of conditions, geotech information, potential experience in restoration costs, and operational consultative sales, demands of the base, HDD turned out to business development, be the best option economically as well. and product development in the civil MEB was the General Utility Contractor engineering community. Previously Ed and Atlantic Boring was the HDD driller served as Business Development Manager for the project. Entrance and exit pits for Water Reclamation Solutions. were strategically located to minimize Additionally, he served as Sales Engineer environmental impact and double as and Plant Manager for Lane Enterprises, necessary excavations for valves, fittings Inc. in the Mid Atlantic area. Ed earned a Strategic location of pits reduced costs & and other appurtenances. Locating these Bachelor of Science Degree from Virginia disruption to base operations pits strategically further reduced costs Tech.

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