CalContractor - 2023 In The Trenches by CMS

Issue 9 - 2023

IN THE TRENCHES ISSUE

MAGAZINE

Constructing Sewer, Water, and Storm Drain for D.R. Horton on Rock Rose and Bayberry Pointe Home Development Project in Jurupa Valley

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CONTENTS 2023 In The Trenches

PUBLISHER: Kerry Hoover khoover@calcontractor.com

06 DOUGLAS PIPELINE, INC.

Constructing Sewer, Water, and Storm Drain for D.R. Horton on Rock Rose and Bayberry Pointe Home Development Project in Jurupa Valley

14 VALVERDE CONSTRUCTION, INC. 24

EDITOR: Brian Hoover Senior Editor

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Aldo Myftari FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Please call: (909) 772-3121

Relocates Steam Tunnel at VA Hospital for Tutor-Perini to Make Room for Construction of New Light Rail Station on Phase 3 Purple Line Project

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Douglas Pipeline, Inc. - Constructing Sewer, Water, and Storm Drain for D.R. Horton on Rock Rose and Bayberry Pointe Home Development Project in Jurupa Valley By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor / Photos by Sukut Construction, Inc.

By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor Photos provided by Trebor Shoring Rentals & Douglas Pipeline, Inc.

D.R. Horton – Rock Rose and Bayberry Pointe D.R. Horton has built more than one million homes with high-quality craftsmanship and thoughtfully designed floor plans since their inception in 1978. This national homebuilder currently has several developments underway in California, including Rock Rose and Bayberry Pointe in Jurupa Valley. Referred to as the Appaloosa Springs Project, the combined two developments are located on around 68 acres of land on Clay Street, and south of Limonite Avenue in Jurupa Valley. In all, there will be 254 single-family lots. Rock Rose will offer one and twostory single-family homes ranging from 1,361 square feet to 2,516 square feet. The Bayberry Pointe collection offers two-story singlefamily homes from 1,583 square feet to 1,880 square feet. Douglas Pipeline, Inc. Installs the Wet Utilities for D.R. Horton in Jurupa Valley D.R. Horton subcontracted the onsite and offsite wet utility work to Douglas Pipeline, Inc. (Douglas Pipeline) out of Lake Elsinore. The contract called for the installation 6

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of approximately 6,000 linear feet of 30-inch storm drain and around 8,000 linear feet of 8-inch sewer main with 44 manholes. Another 12,000 linear feet of water main will also be installed between the onsite and offsite connections that will include a combination of cement-mortar lined ductile iron pipe (CMLC) and C900 PVC pipe. These utilities include jack and bores under the railroad for each utility inside of 30” and 36” steel casing. Tom Lacy established Douglas Pipeline with others in 2013 and has since retired, but not before orchestrating a new ownership team in 2017 by bringing in Adam

Above Left to Right: Adam Hudson (President) Douglas Pipeline, Brandon Conaway (Vice President) Douglas Pipeline, Luke Lacy (Superintendent) Douglas Pipeline, Dan Lothspeich (Trebor Shoring Rentals).

C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Above Left: Open cut installation of RCP storm drain pipe. Above Right: Slope cut for install of sewer pipe.

Hudson (President) who had been working for the company as a head estimator, Brandon Conaway (Vice President) who had worked for large public works underground construction firms, and his son, Luke Lacy (Secretary) who had also logged a lot of field experience with the previous ownership. Brandon Conaway traditionally acts as a liaison between the field and office operations. He spends his days serving many roles, including project manager, superintendent, resourcing equipment, managing crews, and tracking and scheduling the jobs. Conaway is currently overseeing the D.R. Horton/Jurupa Valley project. “We broke ground out here in Jurupa Valley on April 13 and will have everything wrapped up by the end of the year. Similar to most housing tracts, the storm drain and sewer are gravity-driven toward the lowest point on the job site. For this project, all utilities need to cross under the railroad to tie-in with existing utilities. This meant excavating bore pits and CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

tunneling underneath active Union Pacific Railroad tracks to get from the site to Van Buren Boulevard,” says Conaway. “The 180-foot sewer bore is complete, the 230foot storm drain bore is underway, and we will finish with the 180-foot waterline bore. Each bore has its own jacking and receiving pits. The sewer and storm drain jacking pits are each 40 feet in length, 12 feet in width, and approximately 19 feet in depth. The receiving pits are much smaller at around 9 feet by 15 feet and a bit shallower since we are jacking uphill. The waterline jacking pit and receiver are shallower with a depth of around 10 feet.” According to Conaway, the new onsite sewer lines are being installed from 9 to 18 feet in depth. The storm drain is at a depth of four to 14 feet, and the water is installed at 5 feet in depth and up to 10 feet in certain areas. At various times on the project, Douglas Pipeline has had three seven-person crews working in different areas. They also have a tunnel subcontractor,

T&D Trenchless, performing the underground boring portion of the work. “We are self-performing all facets of the underground wet utilities except for the bore and the structures. The challenge on a project like this is always plan approvals and unforeseen issues encountered in the streets. Luckily, we have been working with knowledgeable inspectors, effective engineers, and good agencies like JCSD and the City of Jurupa. “This is a big job site, and it takes both Luke and I to keep the crews working separately and equally productive. Each crew is working on the same thing but in different project areas. Each is responsible for installing the various sizes of pipe and services while also coordinating the offsite connections, laterals, installation and backfill of the various other appurtenances.” All three crews are each equipped with specific pieces of support equipment, including a CAT 330 or Komatsu 360 size excavator on the front end, along I N T H E T RE N C H E S / 2 0 2 3

Above: Double stacked manhole boxes from Trebor Shoring Rentals protect crews prior to manhole pour in 18 foot deep excavation.

with a 3-yard size wheel loader like a Komatsu 320 for loading and backfilling. They also each have a backend excavator, like a CAT 320, a water truck for dust control, and backhoe loaders for numerous other job applications. Conaway points out that it is the people that make the difference. “Mauricio Perez (Superintendent) and Israel Bazan (Foremen) are key individuals doing a great job keeping everything productive and on schedule. We did get a late start while waiting for plan approval, but we have recovered time by aggressively and systematically completing segments of the job,” Conaway continues. “I also want to recognize D.R. Horton’s team, whom we have come to have a great working relationship with after partnering on many previous projects. They are a class act from 8

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top to bottom. Jeff Walton (D.R. Horton’s superintendent) has a tough job orchestrating the numerous trades onsite and schedules their work. This includes our wet utility installation along with the dry utilities, paving, block walls, footings, plumbing, pouring of slabs, curbs, and sidewalks and so much more. We are on the front end right after the rough grade is complete and still there at the back end raising valves and manholes before homeowners start moving in.” Boring under the railroad tracks requires special shoring from Trebor Shoring Rentals Safety is job number one on any construction project, especially on a job like this one where Douglas Pipeline is digging 20-foot-deep excavations and up to 230-foot-

long bores. To keep everyone safe and productive, Douglas Pipeline turned to Trebor Shoring Rentals with locations in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego. “I have been working with Dan Lothspeich from Trebor Shoring Rentals for the past two years, and I contacted him as soon as we were awarded this project. Dan Lothspeich (General Sales Manager) and Roman Villanueva (Division Manager) with Trebor Shoring Rentals have done an outstanding job engineering the most effective and efficient shoring configurations for this project,” says Conaway. “Trebor has become our go-to shoring company. They are always fair and always able to source our needs and there are never any issues with backend invoicing, inferior shoring and hydraulics, added pickup charges, or questionable damage fees. In our business, you need to have a shoring company that is honest, knowledgeable, fair, timely, and professional. Trebor Shoring Rentals is all those things, and we enjoy the partnership that we have built with them over these past two years.” Roman Villanueva is the Division Manager for Trebor Shoring Rentals and, as fate would have it, he worked for Tom Lacy at Highland Engineering in Arizona some years back. “I met Luke Lacy, one of the owners at Douglas Pipeline a few years ago and found out that I had worked for his father in Arizona. This is a big market, but it is also a small world where everyone knows one another. It was good to meet Tom’s son and see what a great job they were doing with Douglas Pipeline,” says Villanueva. “Each application is different, but the railroad component made for a bit more of a challenge. The location of the pits next to the railroad required us to put together an engineered plan for specialized { Continued on page 10 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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Left: Sewer jacking pit after pipe-jack has been completed under railroad and sewer manhole base has been poured. Above: Trebor Shoring provides clamp on hand rail system to be used in conjunction with 2X4’s to provide OSHA approved hand-rail system around pit.

{ Continued from page 8 }

shoring at a depth of around 20 feet. We provided Douglas Pipeline with two different options. The most cost-effective and efficient solution was to utilize trench shields with I-Beams. Each jacking pit requires four shields, as do both receiving pits. Then there are another 24 steel plates and sheet piles with a few extra shields and Speed Shores onsite where open-cut is being performed.” Dan Lothspeich is the General Sales Manager for Trebor Shoring Rentals’ Los Angeles and San Bernardino locations. “I first met Brandon, Adam, and Luke several years ago when I was selling construction machinery for two different well-known equipment distributors here in Southern California,” says Lothspeich. “I sold them equipment before entering the shoring side of the business. So, I went from selling the machines 10

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that dig in the trenches to helping to protect the individuals in the trenches. Our business model is different in that we focus on building trust and partnerships with our customers. From start to finish, we want them to know that we are there for them and not just another vendor dropping off and picking up.” Along with being the General Sales Manager at Trebor Shoring Rentals, Lothspeich is also a Trench Safety Specialist. “Brandon Conaway reached out to me and explained the sensitivity of this project in Jurupa Valley and the fact that the sewer, storm, and water lines would need to be bored underneath adjacent railroad tracks. This type of work requires greater planning and shoring design, and more specifications, inspections, and guidelines than an everyday open trench project,” says Lothspeich. “We provided

the engineered and tabulated data for the trench shields and I-Beam spreaders. Due to the depths and soil pressures, the spreader had to be replaced with an I-Beam to pass OSHA inspection. This allowed for piles or sheet plates to be placed right up against the shield. I-Beams were also placed at the end of the tunnels along with a combination of plates and sheet piles. The sewer and storm drain pits are 12 feet by 40 feet long and 19 feet deep, so two shields are placed next to one another on each side of the pit.” Conaway says that their work on the wet utilities project in Jurupa Valley is being watched closely. “JCSD (Jurupa Community Services District) is doing most of the inspections, but other agencies like the City of Jurupa and the UPRR are also regularly on site to check our progress,” says Conaway. “When it comes to the Union Pacific Railroad, C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Left: T&D Trenchless crews lower 30” RCP into storm drain jacking pit prior to pushing pipe into place through 36” casing under the railroad. Above: Utilizing excavator to place forms in place for 28 foot catch basin on site.

we primarily deal with RailPros, a nationwide transit consulting firm. They coordinate the safety and monitoring of the flaggers, spotters, and other railroad personnel.” There is still work to be done on the wet utility portion of this home development project. “Beyond our job of boring under the railroad tracks, there remains the work of finalizing the install of sewer, storm drain, and water lines. We are using all sorts of shields and aluminum jacks from Trebor Shoring Company to safely place the wet utilities in 3 to 8 feet wide trenches,” continues Conaway. “It can get challenging at times, like when we recently crossed a high-pressure gas line which required an on-the-fly redesign. It’s always interesting what you find in the streets and it’s important to communicate quickly and effectively with the CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

construction team to come up with timely solutions.” Conaway admits that building the right culture under the new ownership with all the right people took a lot of time and energy. “It didn’t all just fall into place overnight, and it took time to bear fruit, but right now we are where we want to be with the highest quality people in the business. Our quality control, office personnel and overall field operations have been very tight, and as owners, we are all in lockstep with one another. Loyalty is important, and we are building something special over here with young owners that are in it for the long haul,” says Conaway. “At the end of the day, Adam, Luke, and I are all friends and we are hyper-focused on conducting business the right way. We also choose to work with high-quality clients with whom we have established a relationship of trust.

We are fair and we have an amazing rapport with our developers. We are always looking out for their best interest in trying to complete projects as efficiently and quickly as possible.” Douglas Pipeline, Inc. currently serves all of Southern California. They are primarily a non-union underground wet utility contractor that works on private and occasionally public works projects in both the commercial and residential sector. For more information on Douglas Pipeline, Inc., please call their Lake Elsinore headquarters at (951) 471-2901. Founded in 1962, Trebor Shoring Rentals rents and transports shore trenching equipment throughout Southern California with locations in San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino. For more information on Trebor Shoring Rentals, please visit www.trenchshorerentals.com. Cc I N T H E T RE N C H E S / 2 0 2 3

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Relocates Steam Tunnel at VA Hospital for Tutor-Perini to Make Room for Construction of New Light Rail Station on Phase 3 Purple Line Project By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor Photos provided by Valverde Construction, Inc.

Above: Joe Valverde, President/ Owner, Valverde Construction. Left: Valverde crew on Purple Line project performing an invert concrete pour at the V300 vault located near the VA hospital.

The Purple Line The Purple Line (D Line) is part of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system and was designed and constructed to improve transit connectivity in the heavily congested Westside of Los Angeles, reduce traffic congestion, and provide an alternative to driving in the area. The project is divided into multiple phases, with Phase 1 extending the line to Wilshire/La Cienega 14

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(completion 2024), and Phase 2 extending it further to Century City and Beverly Hills (completion 2025). Phase 3 of the project continues the line further into Westwood and the VA Hospital (completion 2027). The last section of the Purple Line Extension will add two additional stations at Wilshire/ Westwood and on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) property.

Tutor Perini Corporation (Tutor Perini) is the Design-Build Contractor for the Purple Line Extension Section 3 stations contract, which will add 2.56 miles of new rail to the Purple Line. The Westwood/UCLA station will be located under Wilshire Boulevard between Veteran Avenue and Westwood Boulevard. The Westwood/VA Hospital station, including two crossovers, will be C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Top and Right: Concrete pipe cradles were cast-in-place and utilized as support to keep the 108-inch pipe steady and limit movement. Above Left: Tom Barnes, Superintendent, Valverde Construction.

located to the west of the I‐405 Freeway and south of Wilshire Boulevard and will include a pedestrian bridge to the south of Wilshire. Valverde Construction, Inc. Relocates and Replaces Steam Tunnel and Wet Utilities at VA Hospital for Purple Line This third and final phase of the Purple Line project required the relocation of the existing VA Hospital steam tunnel around the new LA Metro Purple Line Section 3 VA station being constructed. TutorPerini subcontracted underground utility and relocation experts, Valverde Construction, Inc. (Valverde), to install the new steam tunnel that will also house the water and condensation lines. Tom Barnes is a Superintendent for Valverde Construction, and he was charged CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

with overseeing all aspects of the new steam tunnel relocation project. “The tunnel had to be moved and reconstructed to make room for Tutor-Perini to excavate and build the new Purple Line light rail station. Our work began in December 2021 and is all but wrapped up at this point,” says Barnes. “We have a manhole lid and covers being delivered today that we have waited on for nine months. Then there are just some final ladders to be mounted inside vaults and a few other punch list items.” Valverde’s original contract for the Purple Line Section 3 work was for $24,420,000. “Our job was to relocate utilities to make room for the prime contractor’s station excavation work. We relocated sewer, water, storm drain, SCE conduit lines, and the VA steam tunnel line. The existing tunnel comes out from the

VA Hospital, takes a couple of turns and goes straight under Wilshire Boulevard,” says Barnes. “There was a conflict due to the tunnel for the purple line train, and we had to alter the elevations and move the steam tunnel back so that it would not come in contact with the roof of the train station. Additionally, the original pipe that was around the 10-inch steam line was only nine inches thick and it was cracked and broken in many places. The old vaults did not meet standards for access, and it was good that we were replacing this entire steam tunnel pipe section.” Valverde’s initial duty was to install beams and plates around the stations before excavating and removing the existing vaults could proceed. “We drove in the piles and put in the plates, excavated down and around the existing I N T H E T RE N C H E S / 2 0 2 3

Top: Valverde team members forming outside walls at the V300 vault site. Left: V300 vault with the inside scaffolding completed, rebar installed, and ready for inspection. Above: V300 vault wall pour one complete, stripped and cured.

vaults, and then cut the roof off in one piece. We could not demo the old vaults in place because the heavy pieces could fall and damage the existing pipe. After we removed the vault roofs, we then placed additional cross beams and then installed cables and wrapped and supported the active and existing pipes. We then removed the underneath structure that the vault sat upon and then build underneath and around the infrastructure,” continues Barnes. “The beams and plates were installed around the vaults and tunnel itself except for the area that travels through the station. 16

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This is around 80 feet across, and this section was designed for the pipeline to be carefully hung from beams.” Barnes says that the next step was to begin excavating, removing, and demoing the existing vaults to make room for four brand-new vaults within the same location. “The existing vaults were V100 and V400, and we used excavators with breakers and some saw cutting to remove the bigger pieces. I didn’t want that bucket within three feet of the active lines. After removing these vaults, we constructed two new ones in their place, along with adding two

additional vaults,” says Barnes. “The existing vaults were only around 10 feet by 12 feet with not much room for service. Each new vault was 23 ½ feet by 24 feet 8-inches, and all four were cast-in-place with two-foot-thick walls. The new V100 and V400 vaults are approximately 425 feet apart, and then they route off sideways to catch V200 and V300 and the installation of redundant lines that serve as a bypass in the event of a break or other emergency. Between the vaults, we installed 64 pieces of 8-footlong, 108-inch pipe. { Continued on page 18 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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Top: Cast-In-Place V400 vault walls invert ready to have temporary and permanent pipe racks installed. Bottom Left: V100 vault with existing pipe hung to prepare for invert pour. Above: Walls and inverted pour with temporary supports for existing pipes in place until permanent supports are fabricated.

{ Continued from page 16 }

According to Barnes, excavations were down to around 25 feet to make room for the 23-foot-tall vaults, when you include the 24-inch-thick roof. “We worked with Trench Shoring for most of our beam and plate shoring needs, which included around (75) 24” W24 162x50 feet beams and another (75) plates,” says Barnes. “We also rented and used aluminum hydraulic shoring, standard trench shields, and aluminum MAP boxes. Each beam was 50 feet in length while the plates were generally 8 feet by 20 feet.” 18

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Barnes points out that the excavation was more difficult in certain areas due to heavy debris like bricks and concrete from old, demoed homes and buildings. We ended up changing out some of the piles, and we benched those sections at one-to-one and one to one and a half in a few areas where we had to push the soil back. Approximately 35,000 cubic yards of dirt was removed in this process,” continues Barnes. “The surveyor informed us of some locations that we knew we had to fine-tune, and a lot of construction was due to the soil conditions. We

stockpiled the spoils, but much of the soil was deemed unusable, and so we exported thousands of yards and imported around 8,500 cubic yards of clean fill. We also mixed some of the usable soil with sand to achieve the proper gradation for the top two feet of backfill. We also had to repair some of the existing deteriorated pipe. Everything had to remain in place, and we had to build protection devices so as not to damage the old existing lines.” Concrete pipe cradles were cast-in-place and utilized as support to keep the 108-inch pipe steady and limit movement. “The C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Above: Backfilling 108-inch RCP tunnel between V100-V200 vaults. Right: New V200 redundant lines being shored during installation and testing.

cradle was extremely large at around 17 feet wide, 13 ½ feet tall, and 30 inches thick. So, the 8-foot, 108-inch, 62,000-pound pipe sections with 17-inch-thick walls had to be placed inside the threesided concrete cradles, backfilled with 930 cubic yards of slurry, and then caped with concrete. No more than ¼ inch of deflection, and there was a lot of fine-tuning since many of the elevations and slopes were different.” Every job has its challenges, and Barnes points to supply chain issues as one of the issues. “Hate to use COVID as an excuse, but CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

during that period the price of lumber was through the roof, and so we went with a completely different design of formwork. We also made the decision to pour each vault cast-in-place, and we poured concrete walls that were two feet thick with double rows of rebar. Between the vaults and cradles, we poured approximately 1,860 cubic yards of concrete and used an amazing 340 to 365 tons of rebar,” says Barnes. “Our work was originally supposed to be finished in nine months, but supply chain issues drove up prices and threw off the schedule.”

Barnes also suggests that coordinating with all of the other subcontractors, managing underground excavation difficulties, and making sure that the schedules are met were also constant challenges. “I brought in Ramon Munoz, Juan Carlos Garcia, and Ernie Nurez as our Foremen, and Chris Valverde and Jonathan Valverde as the Project Managers, and I assumed the role of Superintendent. Each one of these individuals has their own strengths and talents, and they all worked together on this job to perfection. We have such exceptional team I N T H E T RE N C H E S / 2 0 2 3

Top left: Backfilling 108-inch RCP and cradle between V300 and V400 vaults. Bottom left: Continuing the backfill of V300 and V400 vaults with Valverde’s 336F hydraulic excavator. Below: Pouring concrete for V300 vault redundant lines thrust block with Cat Telehandler.

members working here at Valverde, and that translates into an excellent finished product. We worked 10-person crews from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,” says Barnes. “I would also like to take a moment to recognize our subcontractors who contributed greatly to the success of this utility relocation project. We had Commercial Metals Corporation (CMC) who supplied and performed rebar and constructed cast-in-place vaults for the steam tunnel. JMS Concrete Pumping, Inc. did a great job providing 42-meter pumps with great prices and service. We were also supported by subcontractors, Desert Mechanical Inc., who installed the new steam and condensate lines and ventilation, while Taft Electric took care of the electrical work. Aluma Systems 20

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did a great job on the roof support systems for the existing pipeline, and Trench Shoring Company was there for us with everything we needed to keep our people safe in the trenches. The Purple (D Line) Extension rail project will provide a transportation alternative from downtown Los Angeles to Westwood, including two stops in Beverly Hills: Wilshire/La Cienega Station and Wilshire/Rodeo Station. For Veterans, VA staff, and other riders of public transit, this train will mean travel from downtown Los Angeles to the West LA VA campus should take less than 30 minutes. For more information on the Purple Line and other transit projects, please visit www.metro.net. Valverde Construction was established in 1972 by Joe Valverde.

Now, 51 years later, Joe Valverde continues to serve as president, overseeing all company operations. The Valverde family legacy is secured by Joe’s four sons (Ahron, Chris, Mike and Edward) and two grandsons (Ahron Jr. and Jonathan) who work for the company. Valverde primarily works on Public Works projects with a focus on underground utility installations. The company works throughout California on projects like the Central Subway Project in San Francisco, the California High-Speed Rail job in Fresno, and all over Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties. For more information on Valverde Construction, please visit https://valverde.webflow.io or call their Santa Fe Springs headquarters at (562) 906-1826. Cc C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor Photos by Tim Stassines and Daniel Takahashi

Left and Above: Drone shots of J. R. Filanc Construction, Inc. on the Lift Station Number 2 replacement project for South Coast Water District in Laguna Beach. The proximity to the creek influenced the project conditions due to water level fluctuations which in turn, influenced the excavation.

J. R. Filanc Construction, Inc. Replacing Lift Station Number 2 for South Coast Water District in Laguna Beach

outh Coast Water District (SCWD) was established in 1932 and provides potable water, recycled water, and wastewater services to approximately 40,000 residents, 1,000 businesses, and 2 million visitors annually in South Orange County. SCWD’s service area, divided into five districts, includes the communities of Dana Point, South Laguna Beach, and parts of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. Part

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of SCWD’s responsibilities includes maintaining, renewing, and improving the district’s infrastructure through effective asset management. SCWD owns and operates pipes, lift stations, stormwater systems, sewer lines, and other infrastructure necessary to provide essential water resources to their districts. Lift Station No. 2 (LS2) is situated on Country Club Drive in the City of Laguna Beach. LS2 conveys raw sewage to the

South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA) Coastal Treatment Plant via a 16-inch diameter HDPE force main that stretches over a mile and runs parallel to Aliso Creek. SCWD has continuously maintained and improved LS2 over the years to enhance reliability and mitigate station failures and interruptions that could lead to sewage overflow and spills. When infrastructure reaches the end of its lifecycle or exhibits signs of distress, water C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Left: Filanc crews utilized a Cat 335F excavator to bucket rock for backfilling on the Lift Station Number 2 replacement project for South Coast Water District in Laguna Beach. Above: Range Line team member installing 16” hot tap fittings.

districts like SCWD rehabilitate or replace such structures. LS2, constructed in 1953, was in dire need of replacement. The current lift station facility had been exposed to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) for over 60 years, and the equipment was at the end of its lifecycle. SCWD initiated the replacement of Lift Station No. 2 and contracted J.R. Filanc Construction, Inc. as the prime contractor. J.R. Filanc Construction, Inc.’s (Filanc) LS2 replacement contract encompassed much more than CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

constructing a new lift station. First, they had to build an emergency intertie with the City of Laguna Beach’s existing 24” ACP North Coast Interceptor. Additionally, overhead power and communication lines within the footprint of the new lift station needed to be relocated underground. A 1,000-foot section of Country Club Drive had to be realigned, and a system was installed to monitor settlement and lateral movement detection. Construction involved relocating 8”,

12”, 16”, 24”, and 30” sewer pipes to connect the new lift station to the collection system. New sewer construction included jack and bore trenchless construction. Lastly, the existing lift station will be demolished, and a new garage and vehicle maintenance structure built. The project site encompasses approximately 1.2 acres along Country Club Drive in the City of Laguna Beach in southwestern Orange County. Filanc received the notice to proceed in May 2023, I N T H E T RE N C H E S / 2 0 2 3

Above: Excavating the first anchor block 5-feet below AC pipe. Right: Installation of stainless fittings for hot tap line stops.

and completion is expected in March 2026. Mark Pipczynski is the Project Manager for Filanc, overseeing all aspects of the operation. “The first thing we had to do was build the North Coast Interceptor emergency intertie, which is essentially a valve vault and piping that diverts the flow from the City of Laguna Beach sewer line into the new pump station that we are constructing,” explains Pipczynski. “The City of Laguna Beach and the SCWD both have their own pipelines that convey sewage to the (SOCWA) treatment plant, so this design provides for the ability to interchange the lines at the pump station. The interceptor is a shared resource between these two agencies, and the interceptor vault is now complete and backfilled. During construction of the emergency intertie, flow within the system could not be interrupted. We installed temporary 26

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18-inch primary and secondary bypass piping in addition to two 24-inch line stops to divert sewage flow around the work.” Pipczynski initially planned to use trench shields for this work but encountered unforeseen site conditions where the area had been backfilled with old asphalt and concrete from curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. “As we began excavating the vault, we ran into this rubble, and chunks of debris would fall into the interceptor pipe excavation,” says Pipczynski. “We were concerned about falling debris potentially damaging the City’s pipeline, so we immediately stopped and called Trench Shoring Company for another solution.” Together with Trench Shoring’s assistance, Filanc decided to go with a slide rail system. “The slide rail system consists of 16-foot

by 16-foot shoring box sections, which can be used in conjunction with other sections to protect a trench as needed. Our excavation was 16 feet wide and 80 feet in length, with a depth of 16 feet. The City’s 24-inch asbestos concrete pipe was at the bottom of the 16-foot-deep excavation. After we placed the vault and bypass piping, we had to excavate five feet or more below the existing pipe to place anchor blocks for the line stop,” says Pipczynski. “To go below the existing pipe, we utilized aluminum manhole boxes in combination with some sheet piles. Trench Shoring Company is always great to work with and when we needed to switch { Continued on page 28 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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Above: Chris Lavache, Territory Manager, Trench Shoring Company and Shaun Paul, General Superintendent, Filanc.

Above: J.R. Filanc Construction Laguna Beach team on-site at the Lift Station Number 2 replacement project for South Coast Water District.

{ Continued from page 26 }

trenching solutions, they were right there with us to help us move on without too much delay or disruption. Experts from Trench Shoring Company came out and analyzed our excavation and made a recommendation and eventually a designed solution. They were also onsite to supervise the initial installation.” According to Pipczynski, the excavation of the 16-foot by 80-foot by 16-foot-deep valve vault interceptor was made more challenging by the small working footprint. “The jobsite is located on the corner of PCH and Country Club Drive in Laguna Beach. The laydown area is directly between Country Club Drive and Aliso Creek, which is an environmentally sensitive area where we are always dealing with groundwater. We were highly influenced by the creek’s conditions, such as high tide, high waves, or sandbars that build up on the beach, which affect the water level in the creek and, in turn, our excavation. We currently have around 10 groundwater wells drilled and are utilizing three of 28

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them. The groundwater contains contaminants that must be treated before being released back into the creek. The water is directed into a common header and then into a series of settling tanks. It then passes through sand and clay filters and undergoes disinfection before being released into the creek.” Pipczynski states that the most interesting and complex part of this project is the construction of the lift station. “We will divert the sewer line that feeds the existing lift station to the new lift station. This sewer line will be intercepted in an existing manhole at around 20 feet deep and will require a 200-foot jack and bore due to the numerous utilities that we will go under. Golden State Boring is our subcontractor for the jack and bore application,” says Pipczynski. “We opted for beam and lagging for the 40-foot-deep lift station excavation, which provides more flexibility than the slide rail system. Our subcontractor designed and will install the system and Filanc crews will handle soil excavation. This phase of the project should

take around 10 months from excavation to backfill. Once the lift station is complete, we will connect utilities, test, commission, and make it fully operational. After the lift station is operational, we will demo the old lift station, backfill, grade, and then construct the new maintenance garage.” Another interesting and nontypical aspect of this project is the roadway diversion required to accommodate the new lift station. “We will relocate approximately 1,000 linear feet of Country Club Drive 25 feet to the south. This area falls within the SCWD facility and is adjacent to the Ranch Resort, a hotel and nine-hole golf course,” continues Pipczynski. “We always have to consider the impact on their staff and guests because our construction can affect them. When the new roadway is complete, we will also provide a new pedestrian access path between the Ranch Resort and the coastline.” Filanc will soon undertake another project for SCWD, involving the replacement of an existing 100,000-gallon reservoir C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Above Left: Installing sheet piling for anchor block excavation. Above Right: North Coast Inceptor new pre-cast vault with stainless piping connected to the AC line.

with two new 100,000-gallon reservoirs. Filanc serves three major regions: California, Arizona, and Colorado. Since its founding in 1952, Filanc has completed hundreds of major projects for counties, cities, and private companies throughout the

western and southwestern United States. With a team of over 300 professionals, Filanc’s projects range from emergency repair work to construction projects exceeding $100 million. As an award-winning general engineering and designbuild contractor, Filanc constructs,

renovates, and expands water and wastewater treatment facilities, biosolids management, and wasteto-energy facilities. For more information about Filanc, please visit www.filanc.com or contact their headquarters in Escondido at (760) 941-7130. Cc

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