| Popis: |
In the City of Houston (City), a proposed light rail transit system coincides with an existing drinking water transmission pipeline in one of the City's most densely populated areas. The density of the area makes it attractive for transit and this transmission main serves as a 66-inch surface water refill line to a major regional re-pump station. In many cases, the proposed alignment for the light rail, or supports for the overhead catenary system, is (are) directly atop the 66-inch waterline, in some cases, less than five feet above the waterline. The City and the transit entity want to assess the condition of the existing waterline prior to light rail construction. Right-of-way, maintenance, and other agreements between stakeholders encourage the installation of an acoustic monitoring system as well. The monitoring should detect and provide early warning for any potential construction or operational impacts of the light rail. In order to perform the condition assessment and prepare the pipe for monitoring, the 66-inch waterline would have to be shut down. Approximately half the City would be affected by catastrophic failure of the 66-inch line. Creative solutions are needed to maintain water service for complete and constructional shut downs of the 66-inch water line. Hydraulic modeling is done to find and evaluate other alternatives to supply the southwestern region of the water system. With accelerated construction schedules, hydraulic modeling is critical to formulate feasible solutions. Options examined include existing groundwater plants, modifying groundwater plants to work as surface water re-pump stations, adding system grid extensions and interconnects, and reversing flow in other, large transmission mains. |
