Trenchless Liner Restores Century-Old Water Main in Hazleton, PA
Trenchless Technology reports that the Hazleton City Water Authority in Pennsylvania has completed a rehabilitation of more than 10,000 linear feet of a 20-inch cast iron raw water transmission main dating to 1915, using Raedlinger Primus Line’s Flexible Fabric Reinforced Pipe (FFRP) system instead of open-cut replacement. The Dreck Creek main crosses environmentally sensitive wetlands and protected wildlife areas in Pennsylvania’s northern mountain coal region, conditions that ruled out extensive excavation. Design engineer Benesch and installer Advantage Reline, a certified Primus Line contractor, used four pulls (two at 3,000 feet and two at 2,400 feet) through access pits measuring just 10 by 8 feet, meeting a 250-psi pressure requirement while supporting a planned pump station capacity increase from 5 MGD to 10 MGD. Engineer Michael Peleschak of Benesch said traditional replacement would have taken one to two months, but Advantage Reline completed the rehab in about one week. The Authority also added 3,000 feet of 8-inch pipeline rehab for a separate section damaged by shifting coal ash fill.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Trenchless liner installers and HDD crews should note the compact footprint advantage: 10-by-8-foot access pits versus the long staging areas required for PE sliplining or CIPP, a factor utilities are weighing heavily in bid evaluations for environmentally restricted corridors.
- Pipe rehab subs bidding against open-cut crews should expect utilities like Hazleton City Water Authority to increasingly favor FFRP-style long-pull systems (2,400 to 3,000 feet per pull in this project) when wetlands, coal regions, or protected wildlife areas limit excavation permitting.
- Certified installer status matters: Advantage Reline’s role as the Primus Line-certified contractor on this job signals that utilities are requiring manufacturer certification for pressure-main rehab awards, a credential smaller subs should pursue before bidding similar 250-psi transmission projects.
