When a critical main interceptor sewer ran into severe structural problems, the local government turned to Channeline for help.
Channeline’s bespoke structural glass reinforced plastic (GRP) lining system has played a key role in the rehabilitation of Lakewood’s main interceptor sewer in Ohio, US.
The Lakewood main interceptor sewer is an almost 6km tunnel that collects sewer and stormwater run-off for most of the city and sends it to the local wastewater treatment plant. It’s the backbone of the community’s wastewater treatment system – without it, run-off would flow into the local lake.
Some sections are over 100 years old and had begun to breakdown, which prompted a major rehabilitation project. It was determined early on that a full sewer replacement was out of the question, being far too costly and disruptive to the community. Instead, slip-lining was selected as the ideal method, and Channeline’s GRP liner as the silver bullet.
“Every liner we produce is fully structural: once installed, the liner essentially becomes a new pipe inside the old one, with the strength to handle everything the system will face in the future,” explained Nick Walters, Director at Channeline. “That means that clients can keep costs and disruption down while still providing an effective solution that’s proven to last for generations to come.”
This fully structural lining solution is suitable for the rehabilitation of sewers, tunnels, culverts, stormwater and other buried structures. Thanks to Channeline’s custom design and manufacturing processes, large-diameters, non-circular profiles and complex curves are no problem for these liners. As well as the customisable qualities of the liners, the material also offers excellent durability thanks to its resistance to extreme temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, and chemical exposure. And, critically, the liners are lightweight, significantly reducing manual handling risks for contractors.
“An off-the-shelf product would never be a precise fit within the original structure at Lakewood, especially with it being an egg-shaped sewer,”Walters said. “Channeline is unique in that we can precisely match any shape and any size maximising flow efficiency of the rehabilitated structure.”
Even with this impressive technology under their belt, contractors delivering the works still had a lofty goal ahead of them. The depth of the tunnel from the surface ranged between 6–30m, which needed to be excavated at roughly a dozen small access sites across the city. And that’s when the work really began.
Using a crane, a specialised cart, and sheer human grit, the egg-shaped GRP liners were lowered into the access points, where they were smoothly carted into the old sewer for installation – all in live flow conditions. Each segment was easily locked into place, owing to its careful, intentional design. As Channeline’s GRP liners are fully structural, only a basic grouting was needed to fill the small space between the old sewer wall and the new lining. When all was said and done, the new sewer was water-tight, passed every test, and will now serve the Lakewood community many decades into the future.