Rocky Creek Collection System Improvements

 Rocky Creek Sewer Improvements Project for Chester County Wastewater Recovery (CWR) is a new system expansion construction project. The project includes approximately 7,000 feet of 21-inch gravity wastewater line, 260 feet of 36-inch gravity wastewater line, 4,450 feet of 18-inch gravity wastewater line, 56 manholes, a 1,000 gallon per minute wastewater pump station, 5,850 feet of 10-inch force main, and 9,881 feet of an 8-inch gravity wastewater line. There are a total of eight bores on the project ranging from 60lf of 16” casing to 180lf of 36” tunneling through solid rock. All manholes and the wet well will be epoxy coated by Dun-Right Services. The force main and gravity wastewater line will be constructed on easements that have been acquired by CWR and in the existing SCDOT right-of-way (ROW) along Highway 9, west of the Carolina Poly property. The land for the pump station has also been acquired. The cost of the project is $5,506,006.00.

The project has encountered over 5500cy of rock and 40 plus days with over 3/4” of rain. Palmetto Rock has performed the rock blasting on the site. The sewer lines 8”,18”, 21” and 36” consisted mostly of 10’ to 12’ deep pipe but some as deep as 24’. The pump station has a 26’ deep wet well.

We have multiple crews on the project. David Edwards and crew and Javier Devora Blanco and crew have been on site for most of the project. Rusty Ollis and crew and Chip Crump and crew have also spent time on the project.

The project has had numerous challenges that included a lot of deep sewer pipe in rock, a 180lf bore under Hwy 9 that had to be changed to a hand tunnel due to the rock being too hard to bore, blasting rock along Hwy 9 shoulder near power lines, fiber optic line, and a 24” water main. Delays due to weather and an existing old school building that was to be bored under or relocated. The building was eventually removed by others to eliminate a bore in rock. Very wet conditions along the outfall was an additional challenge as well as the deep tie in to the existing WWTP.

Phillip Thompson-King with CWR (owner), Otis Branham (inspector) and Michael Lambrecht (engineer) have been great to work with on the project working through changes, delays and unforeseen conditions. Even with some surprises along the way, they have helped to keep the project moving forward.

The crews on site worked hard and adapted to numerous changes, rock excavation, and wet weather that were encountered onsite to keep the project moving forward toward completion.