Fort Wright Water Main, Construction & Inspection, Fairchild AFB, WA
This contract demonstrated INNOVA’s ability to manage ahighly specialized and complex study for the Air Force domestic waterdistribution line, which necessitated INNOVA hiring and being responsible forlimited construction activities including: excavation, hot tap saddle and valveinstallations, solid rock removal, and dewatering operations, as part of thispipeline evaluation.
Fairchild AFB main water supply is drawn from wellsestablished at the Ft Wright wellfield located northeast of base, along theSpokane River. The water is pumped to base through a total of approximately11.2 miles of Fairchild owned and maintained 16-inch concrete encased steeltransmission main pipeline.
INNOVA was hired to install two 14 inch T- assembliesin the pipeline with valve ports once on each end of a 4.9 mile section and tothen inspect that section with ultrasonic leak detection equipment. INNVOA wasresponsible for hiring and coordinating utility locates, potholing to installsensors, excavations, installation of valve assemblies, pressure testing andpipe evaluation work. Evaluation included: inserting the SmartBall technologiestool at the 14-inch hot tap through a 4-inch gate valve, use a tracking devicesconnected to remote sensors at 14 locations placed on the surface of the groundalong the 4.9 mile length. Detailed technical report with illustrations, photosand charts to summaries acoustic anomalies found representing leaks and exactlocations in XYZ GPS coordinates. INNOVA encountered unexpected Basalt Rock,requiring fast response overtime work by INNOVA to bring in rock removalequipment, INNOVA worked with AFB staff to resolve un expected high water tableover basal rock, and brought in emergency pumps and equipment to remove waterfrom the pipeline work area, into temporary water ponds we built. The entireoperation could not lose a single day of operation time for the specializedtechnical smart ball technology equipment which is pre scheduled to be otherparts of the country each day. Therefore INNOVA had to anticipate and havepre-planned for special heavy equipment to be brought in for possible rock andhigh water table encounters. Despite these encounters the process and schedulewent perfect and the work was complete on the day required.
