Boynton Beach Raw Water Transmission Main
Design and Construction Inspection
Location: Boynton Beach, FL
Owner: City of Boynton Beach
Status: Completed
Construction Cost: $4 Million
The Project
The City of Boynton Beach had excess capacity to treat raw water at its East Water Treatment Plant, but it did not have the capacity to draw more water from the wells in that location. Conversely, it had the capacity to draw water from the wells near the West Water Treatment Plant.
City officials selected Erdman Anthony to design a 2-mile section of 36-inch ductile iron raw water main for the city, from Military Trail to Congress Avenue. Our firm also obtained the permits and managed the construction effort, including providing inspectors and construction administration.
Features/Solutions
Our firm designed and permitted a solution to place the water main in the Lake Worth Drainage District right-of-way, thus eliminating the need for a utility bridge. Conflicts with existing utilities and drainage pipes were located with soft digs and coordinated with the various utility owners.
Our solutions included:
- Completing the horizontal and vertical geometry for the pipe
- Assisting with the acquisition of easements
- Addressing crossings with utilities and drainage culverts
- Considering the maintenance-of-traffic impacts
- Designing combination air release/air vacuum valves with anti-slam devices and flood-safe backflow preventers
- Employing horizontal gate valves to allow for future swabbing
- Using a super chlorinated slug for the flushing process to clean all three segments
Impacts
The project began with an analysis to recommend the route for the overall transmission main. Factors such as utility impacts, safety, maintenance of traffic, impacts to the community, permitting, construction costs, and operational costs were considered.
Together with the city and the designers for the other two segments of the overall project, the Woolbright Road route was selected. That route, which includes a section with a bridge over Quail Covey Road, reduced maintenance-of-traffic and pavement restoration.
The overall project now allows the city to withdraw 20 million gallons of raw water per day at its western well field, where permitted capacity for withdrawals is available, and transport that water to its water treatment plant east of I-95, where it has treatment capacity.
The city and the design engineers published a paper regarding this project’s design in ASCE’s technical proceedings for its nationwide pipelines conference.
Sustainable Design Impact
The city was not able to use the capacity of its water treatment plant fully due to saline water intrusion concerns. Due to those environmental impacts, the city had to reduce the well withdrawal near the water treatment plant. This project has allowed the city to use wells farther west, outside the influence of the saline water barrier, and use the infrastructure at the water treatment plant without risking the introduction of saline water intrusion’s adverse environmental effects.
Project Images
