Duchesne Aqueduct Improvement CM/GC

The Duchesne Aqueduct Improvement Project will enhance Central Utah Water Conservancy District’s (CUWCD) ability to more efficiently provide treated water to customers in Duchesne County Utah. The existing aqueduct transmission system was upgraded to include six state-of-the-art SCADA enabled automated turnouts, and the rehabilitation of existing isolation valving and airvacs. The improvements will allow the District to have greater flexibility and control to deliver water to the stakeholders in the Uintah Basin.

The Duchesne Aqueduct supplies potable water to multiple customers in the Uintah basin from the Duchesne Valley Water Treatment Plant and did not have the necessary infrastructure to allow for a suitable bypass or shutdown. Sequencing and phasing was a top priority and as such, critical connections were identified, constraints were identified, and time was invested to coordinate and understand the relationship between a single source transmission line and the four independent distribution systems the aqueduct supplied.

Material procurement was also challenging, all the welded steel pipe was custom fabricated, and had to tie into an existing line installed in the early 1980’s. The aqueducts current condition and location of piping was difficult to ascertain due to bury depths, ground water, and limited access.  The team potholed multiple locations along the existing alignment and worked closely with the engineering firm to create a series of pipe segments.  The replacement pieces and tie-ins were fabricated to allow a large degree of field fit modifications.

The control vaults were designed in a manner that provided safe and efficient access and egress for operations and maintenance, good quality lighting, and ample space for future maintenance and operations.

Automation has minimized the time the system operators will spend collecting data and adjusting flow rates to provide water to their customers.

Drainage improvements were made to all the sites, and access improvements along the entire alignment will minimize the impacts to the adjacent property owners and provide additional site security.