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Project site on De Vos Drive
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Storm drain upgrades are among the most under-appreciated
improvements a city can undertake, but they make a huge difference when winter
rains hit.
This week, a 6-member crew from Southwest Pipeline and
Trenchless Corp.
of Torrance, CA began
installing new linings inside old metal storm drains that have deteriorated.
Today, workers were
refurbishing a 30-inch storm drain that runs between homes on De Vos Drive near
Carlton Oaks Elementary School.
Installation requires workers to place a sock-shaped felt lining
inside the pipe. The special sock, which is fabricated at the firm’s headquarters,
is pushed into place first with water and then with air. The sock is
impregnated with an epoxy resin that is activated when steam is injected into
the pipe. The resin hardens in two to three hours, creating a new lining inside
the pipe.
The process is quick enough that workers can arrive in the
morning and be gone before dinner time, sparing residents the inconvenience
of road closures and heavy equipment
that would otherwise block traffic. It
also allows the city to rehabilitate storm drains without expensive and
annoying excavation work, said company president Justin Duchaineau, who came to check on the project site.
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| Justin Duchaineau of Southwest Pipeline & Trenchless Corp. |
On Thursday, the crew from Southwest Pipeline
will be fixing a 36-inch diameter metal storm
drain beneath Carlton Oaks Drive. The company, which was awarded a $775,576 contract
in April, will return in September to rehabilitate a 60-inch diameter storm
drain.
This summer, the city awarded more than $2.4 million in
construction contracts to fix deteriorated metal storm drains or replace those
that are beyond repair. The goal is to upgrade obsolete portions of the city’s drainage
system to avoid calamities such as pipe failures and sink holes. Santee has 6.75 miles of corrugated metal
pipes (CMPs) that were installed before
the city incorporated in 1980.
