Wastewater from the City of Red Wing is collected and conveyed to the wastewater treatment plant through a network of over 100 miles of gravity sewers. These sewers are periodically cleaned and televised to identify problem areas, including leaking joints, collapsed sections of pipe, and excessive root intrusion through cracks and joints. Excessive root intrusion can cause plugging, which can lead to sewage backups into basements.
Through routine televising and maintenance logs, Public Works staff have identified and prioritized those sections of sewers that require disproportionate maintenance to remain functional or have a history of excessive root intrusion. A Capital Improvement Program was then developed to address these problem areas using a variety of construction techniques including conventional excavation and pipe replacement, horizontal guided directional drilling; pipe bursting, and cured-in-place pipe installation.
Cured In Place Pipe (CIPP) Installation
CIPP installation involves inverting an epoxy saturated fiber lining into a sewer line using water pressure and causing the epoxy to cure by heating the water. Services and lateral connections are opened after the pipe has cured using a camera and robotic cutter. This process results in a continuous, joint-free, structural liner that can be installed with minimal disruption to adjacent residents and traffic, and requires no excavation or street reconstruction. A video clip illustrating this process is available for your viewing.