Fish Creek Raw Water Tunnel Rehab

The Details

The city of Rome, New York, needed the one-mile-long rock tunnel that serves as the city’s sole source of drinking water to be rehabilitated. Originally constructed in the 1920s, this tunnel served as a critical piece in the raw water intake from Fish Creek, in order to deliver water to the city of Rome water treatment plant. Failure to repair the tunnel would put the water supply for the city of Rome and surrounding communities at risk. The Wesson Group performed the significant repairs to support the longevity of this intake tunnel, as well as other various dam and intake upgrades. In order to avoid any disruptions to daily life, the existing drinking water supply had to be maintained by diverting it around the tunnel work zone.

Scope of Work

• TWG designed, constructed, and operated a 17 MGD bypass pumping system for the sole source of drinking water for the city of Rome, New York

• The system included 5,800 LF of 18-inch HDPE main, fuel storage system, 400,000-gallon temporary impoundment, four 250 HP diesel pumps, and a fully automated control system with remote monitoring capabilities

• Engineering analysis of the existing rock, dewatering, and initial debris removal and cleaning of the 5,400-linear-foot tunnel installation of safety systems and complete lighting and ventilation for worker safety

• Concrete mix design that required NSF approval, and installation of 3,000 CY of fiber-reinforced shotcrete tunnel lining

• Final cleaning and commissioning of tunnel for raw water transmission to the water treatment plant

• Other dam impoundment and water system upgrades including new large valve installation and controls

The Challenge

This project's critical success factor was to keep the city of Rome's sole source of drinking water viable, while also creating solutions for multiple critical scope items that were desginated design elements in the contract. Besides the bypass pumping system and shotcrete mix designs, The Wesson Group provided numerous value engineering items, including shotcrete that was twice the specified design strength, and provided a floor that addressed an unforeseen tunnel condition, both at no addtional cost to the owner.

The Result

Fish Creek Raw Water Tunnel Rehab provided a safe and secure drinking water source for the city of Rome for years to come. Final project costs were $1.8 million under the original contract price. And the project was named Winner of the 2016 New York State Chapter of the American Public Works Association Statewide Environmental Project of the Year.