Jim Creek Siphon Rehab Poster

Check out the poster below created for this year’s UESI Pipelines 2020 conference in San Antonio! The Pipelines conference is now being planned as a virtual event versus in-person, but we wanted to share the visual:

The Jim Creek Siphon is a 54-inch diameter steel pipe located in the Arapaho National Forest in Winter Park, Colorado at an elevation of 9,500 feet. Due to the sensitive habitat zones and limited access, the Owner opted for rehabilitation of the siphon rather than replacement. Completing this project required: navigation through 1,800 linear feet of pipeline that sloped steeply in some areas, protecting sensitive wetlands, staging and moving equipment along mountainous terrain, cleaning and re-lining the interior of the steel pipe, completing exterior spot repairs, installing linear tape repairs to the exterior freshly-excavated sections of pipe, repairs to concrete supports, and external over coating of pipe at different locations, all while dealing with the restrictions of pipe diameter and slope, and working with potentially hazardous materials.

Following initial waterjet cleaning during the initial abrasive blast cleaning, it was realized that the age and condition of the pipe would negatively impact the project’s production and schedule. In order to meet the specified cleanliness standards, longer blast times were needed for the extremely corroded surface, which also increased the volume of media to then be removed from the pipe. After further discussion and review, along with a recommendation and confirmation from the manufacturer, the Owner issued a change order to increase the interior lining system from two coats at 20 mils per coat to two coats at 30-40 mils per coat. In total, the complete interior lining system included: (1) coat of 68% volume solids epoxy at 6-8 mils, and (2) coats of 100% volume solids epoxy at 30-40 mils per coat, for a total system dry film thickness of 66-88 mils. These extra efforts were accomplished within a short window of time, often requiring the application of 150 gallons or more each day in anticipation of the approaching winter weather and to keep the project on schedule.

Additional challenges included coordination of work with other trades replacing expansion joints on the siphon, minimal access points into the pipe, the presence of lead-based primer on the existing exterior coating system, and regularly changing weather. With work completed between July and October at high elevation, the temperatures ranged from mid-teens to upper 90s, bringing challenges for controlling environmental conditions for the varying scopes of work.

In the end, the project was successfully completed on time with no negative impact to the sensitive environment and without any safety incidents or accidents.