Trenchless Rehabilitation of the Water Main in the Heart of Groningen
Author and at the same time market manager for the Netherlands at egeplast is Julian Hartmann. Mr. Hartmann, in cooperation with Mr. Gerrit de Nijs from Conval Nederland B.V., has published the following article in our customer magazine egeNews.
Right in the inner centre of Groningen (Netherlands), a drinking water cast iron pipeline from the year 1882 was rehabilitated by means of the egeplast SLA® Barrier Pipe System using the horizontal drilling method. In view of the crowded city and challenging ground conditions, the works called for particular precision and care.
Project description
Rehabilitation of the water main from 1882 in the heartof Groningen
Challenges
- Underpass of the Reitdiep canal
- Possible soil contamination (foundations of the city wall, old pipes and cables, explosive residues from World War 2).
Solution
Drilling using egeplast SLA® Barrier Pipes
Pipe system
204 m SLA® Barrier Pipe, Dimension: 315 x 28,6 mm
Parties involved in the project
| Client | Waterbedrijf Groningen |
| Destination | Groningen, Innenstadt (Niederlande) |
| Distributor | Conval Nederland BV |
| General contractor | BAM Infra BV |
| Drilling | Van Leeuwen Sleufloze Technieken BV |
Why did the main water line have to be renewed?
The culvert in the inner city of Groningen is one of the city’s most important drinking water pipelines. It is located underneath the city wall of the Noorderhaven at the foot of the Reitdiep canal. Last year, during an inspection, the water supplier of the province of Groningen came to notice a corrosion-induced hole in the almost 140 years-old cast iron pipeline.
For Drinking Water Protection: egeplast SLA® Barrier Pipe
Potential ground contaminations from adjacent buildings as well as potential blasting agent residues from World War 2 resulted in high safety requirements. Moreover, foundations of the old city wall as well as other old pipelines and cables were suspected to be hidden in the ground. Under these particular circumstances, using the egeplast SLA® Barrier Pipe System seemed the optimal choice. The drinking water pressure pipe prevents permeation of pollutants, thus allowing for permanent drinking water protection.
This project involved the waterworks of Groningen rehabilitating a total of 204 metres using the SLA® Barrier Pipe in OD 315 mm, SDR 11 at a depth of 15 metres. In order to do so, the pipeline was installed underneath the Reitdiep canal using the HDD approach within a mere 1.5 hours. Trenchless installation made it possible to keep the construction site relatively small and thus to minimize its impact on the lively tourism in the beautiful historic centre of Groningen.
“The installation of the pipeline at this depth as an underpass of the Reitdiep canal in the heart of Groningen presented a major challenge for us,” as Johannes Zandstra from the installation company BAM Infra BV commented. “We always needed to keep an eye on the entire aboveground and underground infrastructure.”
“For such a vital main artery of our water network which also will ensure a reliable drinking water supply in the future, you need excellent preparation, seasoned partners as well as top-notch material on the construction site,” states Dick van de Weerd from the utility company, Waterbedrijf Groningen.
Construction site video for the renewal of the drinking water pipeline in Groningen
The construction site video shows the renewal of the main water pipeline from 1882 in the city center of Groningen. The video is in Dutch, but you can see very well the application of the flush drilling. You can also see the insertion of the SLA® Barrier Pipe System, as well as the location on the canal in Groningen. The video was created and published by OGG Radio en Televisie.
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Authors contact details
Julian Hartmann has been working for egeplast international GmbH since 2014. In international sales, he is responsible for the markets in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain and supports his customers for drinking water, gas or wastewater applications both from Greven and partly on site. Conval Nederland B.V. is a long-standing sales partner of egeplast.
Julian Hartmann
Email: Julian.Hartmann@egeplast.de
Phone: +49 2575 9710 134
Cell: +49 151 1765 7538
LinkedIn: Profil Julian Hartmann
Conval Nederland B.V.
Email: DeNijs@conval.nl
Phone: +31 6 2514 1717
Website: www.conval.nl
