Jan 14, 2013 by Dr. Chris Wood

PCWASA contractors begin the pipe lining process for a sewer line at the Planterra Ridge Golf Course by inserting the Cured In Place Pipe (CIPP) into a manhole at the head end of the line. In the distance is the next manhole where the CIPP is headed.

As portions of the Peachtree Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) system are being evaluated to determine their structural integrity, other portions are being rehabilitated. Such is the hectic process and schedule of sewer system capital improvements.

But how do you rehab a sewer line within an exclusive golf course community without disturbing the landscape, layout, or membership?

An example of such a capital project took place recently within the Planterra Ridge Golf Course in Peachtree City, where PCWASA utilized a modern marvel to rehabilitate aging sewer lines within one of the more highly visible areas of the system. And the Authority did so with minimal inconveniences to customers or disturbances to the environment.

PCWASA contractors from Brent Scarbrough and Company completed the Planterra Ridge sewer rehab project by installing Cured In Place Pipe (CIPP) on lines that were in close proximity of the new Lake McIntosh. The CIPP process improves the consistency of these sewer lines to reduce the risk of any problems at the site of the reservoir impoundment in the future.

The use of CIPP seals off leaks caused by cracks, fractures, misaligned joints, roots, or other problems that are evident and common in every sewer system. The new CIPP adds structural integrity to the existing pipe, extending its useful life span. But in addition to using the strongest materials available, CIPP is an environmentally friendly process for sewer line rehab, while providing a cost effective return on investments in capital improvements.

In the case of rehabilitating the PCWASA sewer lines running throughout the Planterra Ridge Golf Course, Authority officials surmised that CIPP Installation was the most appropriate methodology for sewer pipe rehab in this instance. As a result, when PCWASA contractors were busy re-lining sewer pipes at Planterra Ridge with CIPP Installation, those playing golf around the scheduled work were hard pressed to know the crews were even there.

“With pipe lining technology, sewer line rehab doesn’t require trenches to be dug or dirt to be excavated, as would be the case for open cut repairs,” says Hogan. “From one manhole to another, a sewer line can be completely re-lined to a condition good as new, without the mess or stress to the property or landscape – in this case the golf course at Planterra Ridge. We completed this project without incident, and it was a great success.”

As for other rehab work, when RedZone Robotics finishes collecting data on the status of PCWASA infrastructure, the Authority will locate additional areas in need of rehab attention, prioritizing projects much like the one recently completed at Planterra Ridge. RedZone is the PCWASA contractor assisting the Authority with a conditional assessment of all sewer lines within the system, as the innovative CIPP pipe lining process and other methods of sewer line rehabilitation will follow as necessary, says Hogan.

“We will continue with other lining projects as we discover needs and as our budget allows,” adds Hogan. “This work will be included in our master planning and future budgets. The lining process is just one of the methods in our toolbox that allows us to maintain and extend the life of the system.”

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu (email)

Mar 12, 2012 by Dr. Chris Wood

Now that the Biosolids Treatment Facility has opened at the Peachtree City Water & Sewerage Authority’s Line Creek Plant, the facility now features the reuse, or recycling, of both wastewater and biosolids that result from the site’s water reclamation processes. Talk about a win-win.

For years, the Line Creek Plant has provided permitted spray irrigation of treated wastewater at nearby Planterra Ridge Golf Course and other are recreational facilities. The treated wastewater is completely safe and provides an ideal supplement, or in some cases replacement, for potable water that’s often used for golf course irrigation.

The Line Creek Water Reclamation Plant is a regular sludge activated plant; however, the plant features advanced filters that treat wastewater after the sludge activation stage of the process. In addition, the plant has triple backup ultraviolet (UV) disinfection to complete a highly advanced form of wastewater treatment.

For that reason, industry regulators at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) permit PCWASA to send some of the treated wastewater (effluent) from the Line Creek Plant to a holding pond at Planterra Ridge for eventual spray irrigation on the golf course.

The other two means of permitted wastewater discharge from the Line Creek Plant include an amount that is put back into Line Creek, and a required amount put back into Flat Creek at the site of the old wastewater treatment plant outfall, in order to maintain and preserve valuable wetlands downstream.

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu (email)