Jim Creek Siphon, Winter Park

Jim Creek Siphon is an 1,800’ long, 52” pipeline located in Winter Park that transports raw water as part of Denver Water’s Moffat collection system. Each end of the siphon slopes steeply for 600’, and the flat center section crosses a wetland area thick with vegetation.

This beautiful but challenging worksite provided some initial logistical challenges. Water would need to be trucked to the site. Wash, blast, and application equipment would need to be set-up with 500’ of hose. Staging and moving equipment was made difficult by the narrow routes along rocky, tree-lined trails.

The work itself involved relining the entire pipeline interior with 40 mils of material, but before this could be accomplished the pipe required ultra-high pressure washing at a minimum of 30,000 PSI. This critical task would be difficult in any setting, but inside a 52” pipe all of the equipment complications and safety concerns were amplified. The crew maintained a constant watch on the equipment and on each other to ensure that this sensitive task could be performed safely and efficiently.

As the steel surface was prepared, it was learned that the interior surface was heavily pitted throughout the majority of the siphon. This unforeseen condition was addressed by doubling the coating thickness to 80 mils. However, this addition caused serious impacts on the schedule and at Winter Park’s elevation of 9,000’, cold weather was coming quickly. The crew pushed to complete the project on schedule, often applying over 150 gallons per day. The interior work, along with exterior spot repairs and 200’ of exterior wax tape application was finished safely and on schedule.

For more information, see the video above.