Meadow Creek Raw Water Collection System Condition Assessment

Denver Water, in association with the City of Englewood and the Climax Molybdenum Company, determined a need to perform a condition assessment evaluation on the Meadow Creek Raw Water Collection System (MCCS).

Significant leakage had been observed at numerous locations along the MCCS over several years. The various leaks have had detrimental impacts to Denver Water and the U.S. Forest Service, as the leaks have damaged U.S. Forest Service roads resulting in the need for road maintenance and have become a source of water loss. In addition, as the system continued to age Denver Water has attempted to repair the leaks with limited success. Therefore, Denver Water contracted with Providence Infrastructure Consultants (PIC) to perform a condition assessment evaluation.

PIC supported Denver Water in assessing and evaluating the condition of The Meadow Creek Raw Water Collection System located in Grand County. This project involved supporting Denver Water with identifying rehabilitation options for the Meadow Creek Raw Water Collection System. The project also included reviewing historical O&M data to determine the location and severity of leakage on the concrete collection system pipe, site assessments, and identifying cost-effective rehabilitation technologies. PIC’s support involved confirming locations and causes of pipe leaks; and developed a cost effective and sustainable solution to stop existing and future leakage. Preliminary field reconnaissance was performed by PIC and Denver Water staff to document and investigate the location of the leaks. At locations with visible leakage, excavations were performed around the pipe to further document circumstances associated with the leaks. A total of eight leak locations were investigated and detailed observations were made, and measurements were taken regarding the physical location, pipe material, type of joint, depth of bury, bedding conditions, and pipe slope.

The evaluation included helping Denver Water: 1) confirm the location of the leaks, 2) determine the cause(s) of the leaks, 3) develop cost effective and sustainable solutions to stop the leaks, and 4) develop a method whereby future leaks can be effectively addressed. This evaluation included a field investigation of the locations the leaks. The completed report also documents a variety of alternatives for mitigating the observed leaks and provides detailed descriptions of the leak mitigation alternatives and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. Several leak mitigation repair alternatives were evaluated. After evaluating the leak mitigation alternatives and comparing their advantages and disadvantages to the established evaluation criteria, the use of internal joint seals or mechanical repair sleeves emerged as the most favorable alternatives for mitigating the leaks on the MCCS.