Lakewood Pipeline

• Background Information
• Background Documents
• Contacts

Next Steps:

Based on the five internal inspections conducted between October 2004 and October 2007, city staff and its consultants believe the inspections indicate that Lakewood Pipeline is stabilizing. Immediate and extensive repair and remediation measures can be delayed and the best course of action is to continue to monitor and evaluate the pipeline and inspect it again in two years (2009). In the meantime, refinements to the inspection and monitoring program should be studied, and potential future relining alternatives should be researched.

Background Information

Lakewood pipeline delivers water from the city's Silver Lake Watershed to the Betasso Water Treatment Plant where it is treated and then distributed for municipal use. During reconstruction of Phase III of the Lakewood Pipeline in 2002 and 2003, the city discovered weld and lining issues in the pipe supplied to construct the final phase of Lakewood Pipeline.

Five internal pipe inspections have been completed since Lakewood Pipeline Phase III began operating in May 2004. The first inspection was performed in October 2004, the second in April and May 2005, the third in October 2005, the fourth in March and April 2006 and the fifth in October 2007. Observations from the first three years of pipeline operation were obtained from the five inspections.  The next inspection will be conducted for 2009

The inspections to date have established that the cracks are not getting wider, but they haven't closed or healed. While the mortar lining is physically intact throughout the Lakewood Pipeline, not all of the Phase III lining is bonded to the underlying steel. Corrosion exists in local areas near and adjacent to the cracks at the lining-steel interface. The quantity of cracks does not appear to be increasing.

During the October 2007 inspection, the city installed an array of nine steel coupons (small steel sample pieces) within Lakewood Pipeline during the fifth inspection.  These steel coupons will be periodically removed and analyzed over the next year to determine the rate of corrosion anticipated for unprotected steel exposed to this specific water supply.  Comparison of corrosion rates from this test with observations of the actual Lakewood Pipeline will help in estimating the pipeline lining's useful service life

Technical evaluations to date do not indicate imminent danger of pipeline rupture. In light of the considerable environmental, social and economic effects that would be associated with a large repair or replacement effort, staff believes the most prudent course of action is to continue to monitor pipeline conditions and arrange for repair/replacement if it becomes necessary. Public safety and water supply reliability will continue to be paramount in the evaluation.

Background Documents:

• Weekly Information Packets (WIP) to City Council
  • WIP to City Council dated Dec. 20, 2007
  •  WIP to City Council dated July 19, 2007
  •  WIP to City Council dated June 21, 2007
• Inspection Reports (these are large documents that may take time to open)
  •  Phase III - Inspection Report #1
  •  Phase III - Inspection Report #2
  •  Phase III - Inspection Report #3
  •  Phase III - Inspection Report #4
  •  Inspection Report #5 - December 2007
• Maps and Drawings
  •  Project Vicinity Map
  •  Elevation Profile
•  Background information on the original construction of Lakewood Pipeline

Contact Information:

Joe Taddeucci
(303) 441-3205
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Robert Harberg
(303) 441-3124
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Ned Williams
(303) 441-3200
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 09:12