After other methods failed, UV Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) proved an ideal solution to rehabilitate a leaking 36-inch storm drain under a heavily trafficked road at a manufacturing facility.
By: Thomas Nestoras, Progressive Pipeline Management (PPM)
Publication: NASTT - Spring 2024
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Project: 36-inch Stormwater Drain Renewal
Location: Middlesex County, New Jersey
Length: 70 feet
Client: Industrial Manufacturer
Contractor: Progressive Pipeline Management (PPM)
Method: UV Cured-in-Place-Pipe
In Middlesex County, New Jersey, a manufacturer had widened a roadway on its facility grounds to accommodate increased loading and traffic brought on by a plant expansion. Although the 36-inch storm drainpipe running under the roadway had been built with reinforced concrete pipe (RCP), the expansion material used was corrugated metal (CM). Over time, the joints between the CM and RCP weakened. When a major hurricane in 2022 created a stormwater surge of 15 feet, the joint seals and the pipe connections to the culvert at the inverts failed. Bottom line, the storm caused irreversible damage at the connections and at the culvert. Unwanted infiltration and sediment were leaking into and out of the end of the 36-inch pipe into the storm water system.
To protect the groundwater from unwanted sediment, the property owner needed to strengthen the 36-inch stormwater drain and remediate the unwanted infiltration that was straining the township’s stormwater system. Their aim was to avoid tearing up the road to replace the pipe. Replacing the 70-foot length of pipe would have required a costly excavation and caused weeks of detours in and out of the facility. Delays would have impacted production at the plant.
A UV light chain cures the liner inside the 36” stormwater drain.
Interestingly, the leaking stormwater drainpipe had been lined a few years prior. A 1-inch geopolymer liner had been installed in the storm drain by a different contractor. The thickness of the liner reduced the diameter of the 36-inch drainpipe and restricted flow-through capacity. Over time, and with changes in temperature and continuous heavy load conditions, the material started to weaken, contract, and shift, creating gaps between the host pipe and the liner. After the storm surge of 2022, chunks of the geopolymer liner were found floating in the culvert and the groundwater. It was determined that the previously lined infiltration points were leaking contaminants again.
Progressive Pipeline Management (PPM) was brought in to inspect the 70 feet of the 36-inch stormwater pipe and then identify an efficient and permanent way to strengthen the pipe to prevent further leakage without replacing the pipe. Any solution had to withstand the heavy weight loads and stop the previously lined stormwater pipe from leaking.
““After the approvals, it took just two days to line the stormwater drain. For most installations, CIPP does not require excavation.”
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About PPM: Progressive Pipeline Management is a full service contractor and team of highly skilled infrastructure renewal specialists. For over twenty two years, PPM has been improving the safety and longevity of pipeline infrastructure. They hold the exclusive licensee in North America for the Starline® Cured-in-place-lining. PPM’s specialized expertise includes gas pipeline rehabilitation, restoration of damaged or leaking infrastructure, PIPES ACT 2020 compliance and trenchless technology.
