Non-Paywalled
TL:DR

Crews in southern Utah County are nearing completion on one of the most consequential water infrastructure projects in the Western US as they prepare to finish the final 4.3-mile segment of the Spanish Fork–Santaquin Pipeline, the last major construction link in a multibillion dollar project that will provide locals with a viable water supply for decades.

Led by the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD) and general contractor VanCon, Inc., the Santaquin Reach is the culmination of a 17-year endeavor to transport Colorado River water through the Wasatch Mountains to the high-growth communities of southern Utah County. By tapping into the massive storage at Strawberry Reservoir in the mountains, the Spanish Fork Santaquin Pipeline (SFSP) provides enough water to protect 240,000 residents from drought.

“Completion of the SFSP is a critical milestone in building the backbone that enables the rapidly growing communities in the south end of Utah County to begin taking water allocations petitioned for decades ago,” says Brad Perkins, project manager for the Central Utah Project (CUP).

With the SFSP nearly complete, the Utah Lake System (ULS) now delivers Strawberry Reservoir water in a continuous pipeline along a 35-mile stretch from Orem to Santaquin. In Orem, the ULS connects with other pipelines to deliver water as far north as Salt Lake City.

The Santaquin Reach is highlighted by massive 60-inch dia spiral-weld steel pipes, designed to handle the high pressures required for regional water distribution. Each pipe segment is 40-ft-long and weighs between 25,000 and 30,000 pounds. Installing them has required more than 500 individual "picks" to complete the 4.3-mile reach.

To protect the pipe during installation, VanCon used two large excavators and 6-to-8-inch wide nylon straps to ensure the concrete-over-tape coating remained intact.

The pipeline was installed at an average depth of 11 to 15 feet, with some areas exceeding 20 feet. “The soil conditions varied from silty sands, sands with gravels, to gravels,” says Chad Hunsaker, VP of VanCon. He says crews installed more than 50,000 cu-yds of controlled low-strength material (CLSM) around the pipe to ensure 100% compaction and to protect the pipeline

“The pipe was installed using a slide rail shoring system for the 25,000 linear feet,” says Hunsaker. “This type of shoring system is complex and requires a large crew to install and remove shoring and provide a safe work area for the manpower installing, welding, and backfilling the pipeline.”

My Thoughts 💭My Thoughts 💭

What an amazing project!

Welded steel pipe should last the 100 years plus this project failed to do! The design choice to go with engineered fill to ensure compaction and pipeline protection could be the key in making sure this pipe line doesn’t meet the designed lifespan. Kudos to Utah for getting this project done.