McCulloch Updates Status of Oakland-Macomb Interceptor Project

Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, John McCulloch, recently provided the following update on the status of the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor project:

Construction of the first phase of the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor Drain (OMI) Rehabilitation Project, which began in February of 2010, is now complete. The first phase, also known as Segment 1, consisted of two construction contracts, both of which were completed by Ric-Man Construction, Inc. These two contracts included the construction of five new permanent flow control / access structures and modifications to an existing flow control structure. Four of the five new structures include a very large steel stop gate. One of the structures includes a temporary pump station. These new facilities, operated in cooperation with Macomb County’s Clintondale Pump Station and Detroit’s Northeast Pump Station, will provide a means of controlling flow in the OMI system by using the upstream pipes for storage and temporarily backing up flow. The flow control plan will utilize alternating periods of storage and release to provide working time downstream to conduct rehabilitation work in subsequent phases of the project.

Design for the second phase of the project has been completed and plans and specifications have been issued for bids. Bids will be received on October 25, 2011. Construction is expected to begin by January of 2012. Rehabilitation of the pipe in the lower half of the OMI system will begin with this phase, utilizing the flow control made possible by the facilities constructed in the first phase. Work will include cementitious grouting of voids outside the interceptor, chemical grouting of leaks and localized repair of the pipe wall. In addition, modifications will be made to the Northeast Pump Station including the installation of a new 1,250 horsepower variable frequency drive pump. Construction costs are estimated at $20.2 million. This phase of the work is scheduled to take approximately two years.

As construction on the second phase of the project gets started, design efforts will begin on the third phase. The third phase has two major components: 1) installation of a permanent liner in sections of the interceptor where hydrogen sulfide has affected the long-term integrity of the pipe, and 2) rehabilitation of a restricted section of the interceptor that was previously repaired but is again in need of attention. Various rehabilitation methods are being evaluated to determine the type of lining to be used. Slip lining and spiral wound lining are the two methods being given the most consideration at this time. The rehabilitation of the restricted section of pipe likely will include construction of a new parallel sewer. Construction of phase three is expected to overlap with phase two and is expected to begin in 2013.

For more information about the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor project, click here, here, and here. 

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