University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Upgrades Water System in Sugarcreek, Pennsylvania

In late September 2012, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) awarded Independence Excavating a water modification project at the Northwest Sugarcreek Station Facility in Sugarcreek, Pennsylvania. At first glance, the project seemed pretty straight forward but there were many hurdles that faced the project team. The existing system was in extreme disrepair and needed replaced. The system utilized dual 175 GPM well pumps, which pumped gas chlorinated water into an archaic 95,000-gallon concrete cistern high in the hills. From there, gravity would take over and the cistern would supply the 150-foot-tall (75,000-gallon) onsite steel water tower with both fire suppression and potable water for Sugar Valley Lodge and Sugarcreek Station.

The new system will be comprised of a 116,000-gallon, cast-in-place, concrete tank, a retro-fitted well pump building, and a new control building, complete with instrumentation and water chlorination equipment. The instrumentation housed in both the well and control buildings will give the operator of the facility real-time information and performance data via the radio controlled SCADA system. The new construction had to be complete before any demolition of the existing system could occur.

The project began during warm and sunny September and October weather, but soon turned into a rainy, cold and muddy mess, but we are used to that. The first major tasks were getting the concrete tank poured out, installing the high performance coating, and leak-testing the tank. During that same time frame, we were constructing the control building and installing the dual 12’ water mains. An integral part of the project was the new underground pipe vault, which housed many of the control components needed for the system to work remotely and automatically. The electrical and mechanical equipment in both the vault and buildings were the last piece of the puzzle in getting the system fully operational.

After the system was operating as intended, we could start planning and preparing for the demolition of the existing system, most notably the 150-foot-tall water tower. The tower sat adjacent to both Sugar Valley Lodge and Sugarcreek Station. After careful planning and coordination with both facilities, we were able to successfully drop the tower into the farm field located on the property. We would like to thank UPMC, NIRA Engineers and Keystone Electric for helping deliver another successful project.