Roth: New Drinking Water Interconnection Line

Stadtwerke Roth has begun the Installation of a new drinking water network pipeline from the Roth waterworks to secure the drinking water supply in the long term. A rocky subsoil and narrow construction site widths were just some of the challenges that had to be overcome. They opted for the egeplast SLM® 3.0 pipe system, which was mainly installed using the horizontal directional drilling method.

Installation of the drinking water network connection

In Roth, Franconia, the municipal utilities began installing an approximately 1,000 m long new drinking water network connection in the fall of 2024 as part of a comprehensive construction project. This leads from the waterworks to the elevated reservoir I – Lot 2 in Roth. The aim of the new drinking water network connection is the long-term independent supply of safe drinking water.

A rather complex construction project, as the topsoil profile varies, and the subsoil is partly gravelly, but also to a large extent very rocky. Furthermore, adverse weather conditions with low temperatures, unusually frequent and heavy precipitation, and high humidity created additional challenges. All the more important were professional work preparation, structured coordination of the measure, and not least, sufficient experience of all involved parties. The client is Stadtwerke Roth, which commissioned IB ITEC Ingenieure Kellermann GmbH from Nuremberg as the planning office. egeplast SLM® 3.0 pipes were installed, supplied by the dealer Muffenrohr Neutraubling and laid by the construction company PRO BAU Ingenieur- und Rohrleitungsbau GmbH from Passau.

Selected installation methods

“Due to the specifications of various building load carriers – such as private and public forestry – as well as the locally available working space widths of the forest paths, a large part was laid using the so-called horizontal directional drilling method – approximately 800 m of the total 1,000 m. A particular challenge here was the existing soil in the form of hard rock.” Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Peter Obermeier, Construction Manager at PRO BAU from Passau.

Challenges of the Installation

The cool temperatures of the construction project, which was mainly located in a forest, also made the project more difficult. For this reason, the welding parameters of the SLM® 3.0 were adjusted in advance to the corresponding butt welding machine so that the welding could take place properly and technically flawlessly.

The frequent rainfall also made it difficult to use construction machinery and the horizontal directional drilling system, weighing 21 tons, to access the individual pipe sections via the construction site roads. This hurdle was also overcome without any problems thanks to precise planning and optimization of work processes.

After completion of the drinking water interconnection line construction site in spring 2025, the new drinking water line will go into operation directly.