Public Pushes for UV Curing on Pipe Lining Project to Reduce Environmental Impact

Heavy equipment that comes with water and steam curing methods could have a larger impact on Washington, D.C., area project because of access paths that would have to be built for some manholes

Public Pushes for UV Curing on Pipe Lining Project to Reduce Environmental Impact

As details are being sorted out on a potential CIPP project in a Washington, D.C., park area, some members of the community are suggesting officials consider UV curing to reduce the amount of heavy equipment that has to be transported to hard-to-access manhole sites.

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An area of Washington, D.C., is looking at CIPP as its likely pipe rehab method for an upcoming project, largely because of the benefit of avoiding the surface disruptions that come with opencut.

But some want the utility in charge of the project, DC Water, to take another step in its efforts to minimize the invasiveness of the project and use UV curing rather than a water or steam curing method.

About 6,100 feet of pipe in the aging Soapstone Valley sewer system would be rehabbed under the proposed project. Even though most activity would occur at existing manholes, site constraints would force access paths to be constructed for certain manholes. That’s what has some members of the public concerned. Those access paths could still impact as many as 371 trees in Soapstone Valley Park.

According to the Forest Hills Connection, Marjorie Share, a member of the ANC 3F Parks & Trails Committee, attempted to research alternatives and came across UV curing, which doesn’t require some of the heavy equipment that steam and hot-water curing do and therefore has a smaller footprint. That could mean fewer trees impacted.

A community meeting was recently held that was the public’s first chance to ask questions regarding the environmental assessment for the proposed project. Public comments on the environmental assessment are being accepted through Aug. 2.

Source: Forest Hills Connection



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