All of which took place this past August in Calgary.
The UESI Pipelines Conference provides a forum for pipeline engineers and practitioners from all around the world to share their experiences in meeting the challenges of today's pipeline infrastructure. This year, the exhibit hall was filled with exhibitors, showcasing new products, highlighting technologies, while educating and connecting with current and prospective customers.
With plenary speeches, informative workshops and technical sessions, and networking opportunities of all kinds, this premier industry event has become the conference of choice for utility and pipeline owners, design and consulting engineers, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, and pipeline professionals.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights, shall we?
Project of the Year Winner
The UESI Project of the Year Award recognizes significant achievements in utilities, pipelines, surveying, geomatics, and related topics.This year’s award winner was the Dallas Water Utilities’ (DWU) Glendale Park Five Mile Creek Interceptor Emergency Replacement Project.
A portion of the 54-inch Five-Mile Interceptor suffered a failure, which caused a sinkhole to form in a publicly accessible portion of Glendale Park and rendered a sewer emergency in Dallas, Texas. Upon inspection, it was found that the pipe integrity was compromised due to missing CMP lining, indicating a high likelihood of additional failure along the Interceptor and increased potential for sanitary sewer overflow into the creek if nothing were to be done.
Together, DWU, Freese and Nichols, Inc., and John Burns Construction, Inc. showed true collaboration in a project that was the first of its kind in the state of Texas. By utilizing semi-elliptical arch pipes in a novel way and incorporating bifurcation wyes to tie the parallel pipes into the circular pipes, the team was able to split the flow, successfully routing further wastewater and protecting the health of the creek.
Through the completion of this project, the various innovations, milestones, and community benefits are ultimately what highlighted this project as deserving of the 2024 Project of the Year Award.
Honorable Mentions
The San Diego County Water Authority’s (WA) First Aqueduct Treated Water Tunnels Rehabilitation Project
The San Diego County Water Authority, together with, Stantec, Inc. and Michels Trenchless, Inc. worked to rehabilitate the ground water infiltration of the First Aqueduct tunnel system in San Diego County. Despite the time constraints and limitations, the team utilized geopolymer lining, FRP sliplining, and an unparalleled level of commitment to repair the tunnel, lengthen its lifespan, and improve water distribution efficiency while reducing environmental impact and advancing the boundaries of what is achievable in potable water pipe rehabilitation. The communities around the First Aqueduct will have clean drinking water for at least 75 years thanks to the team’s tremendous efforts.Venetian Causeway Water and Sewer Main Upgrades – Phase 1
The city of Miami Beach, Florida, receives drinking water by means of four transmission mains connected to the island, one of which is the Venetian Causeway, Florida’s oldest causeway that spans the Biscayne Bay, one of Florida’s most protected water bodies. The condition of the 28 water and sewer main aerial crossings along the causeway was very poor, requiring frequent emergency repairs. The task of accelerating the design and construction of replacement pipelines on an emergency basis fell on engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer, owner Cristina Ortega Castineiras, and construction contractor David Mancini and Sons, Inc. While devising a solution, the team was not able to utilize replacement aerial pipelines due to the county’s plan to replace the other 1920’s era bridges. After toiling discussions to develop criteria about construction solutions and risk assessment, the team utilized horizontal directional drilling as an atypical surgical installation method. As this is the first phase of the project, the project's criteria-based design methodology can be utilized in future projects to develop constructed accuracy of this installation method.Younger Member of the Year Award
The UESI Younger Member of the Year Award annually recognizes the astounding contributions and character of members 35 and younger based on their excellence in service to the Institute, service to the advancement of the profession, and contributions outside of ASCE and UESI.
As a researcher, he has authored and co-authored multiple technical journal and conference papers, presenting his findings in various prestigious venues. His contributions even extend to his role as an Associate Editor for one of ASCE's journals and as a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) member for the Water Research Foundation (WRF).
He has contributed in multiple committee positions exceptionally as a member of ASCE and UESI, including his role in Calgary as the Technical Co-Chair of the Pipelines Conference. In 2022, he was awarded the Best Reviewer Award for the Journal of Pipelines Engineering and Systems.