THE AVENUE  Newsha Ajami and Joseph W. Kane Tuesday, October 20, 2020

he COVID-19 pandemic has not only disrupted the social and economic realities of our communities, but also undermined some of the basic infrastructure we depend on. Our water infrastructure has been at the heart of this realization; its importance to health, hygiene, and safety has never been more obvious, yet millions of disadvantaged and vulnerable households still lack reliable and affordable access to water. Meanwhile, climate change has fueled extreme droughts, fires, and floods that have disrupted or destroyed this essential infrastructure. COVID-19 has exposed the continued neglect of our water infrastructure, magnifying long-standing social and environmental stressors as well as economic inequities.

State and local leaders manage most of our water needs, and many recognize the gravity of its challenges, despite facing massive fiscal constraints due to COVID-19. But federal leaders have not shown the same urgency. As Congress debates recovery strategies and stimulus efforts, water should be a bigger part of the conversation. Water can serve as a lever to achieve greater economic equity and access, environmental resilience, and technological innovation, among other benefits. Now is the time for Washington to elevate water as a core issue to drive a lasting recovery.

In a recent webinar hosted by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment (watch video at the end of this post), we discussed a set of practical solutions to address the gaps in water infrastructure and advance new innovations. Below are five key areas of intervention that federal leaders should be focusing on..

Market
Culvert Rehabilitation 
Challenge
A culvert in Watertown, CT had a significant water flow and erosion problem which led to culvert joint separation, invert deterioration, erosion issues, and headwall damage. The erosion had undermined the outlet which resulted in a disruption in water flow. With the age of the culvert, the inlet headwall was made with stacked stone. Over time these stone headwalls can settle and become weak and start to lose structure. This culvert was located under a roadway which also has challenges with traffic control. The separating joints caused concerns with the above roadway being damaged by infiltration.
 Engineered Solution
Hydratech implemented an engineered solution to address all of these issues. HydraTite Seals were installed over the culvert joints for a permanent solution to the separated joints that were leaking and eroding the ground below the roadway. 5 tons of riprap (large diameter stone) was placed over the existing outlet void to prevent further deterioration and erosion by restoring natural water flow. The stone headwall was encased in two layers of concrete to prevent further structural damage and environmental erosion.
 Scope
The job consisted of the installation of 9 HydraTite Seals that were 72” in diameter, placement of 5 tons of riprap, concrete patching inside the pipe, the concrete casing of inlet stone headwall.
Solution
The HydraTite Solution enables a trenchless repair at a fraction of the cost of fully lining the pipeline. The sealed joints and repaired invert will restore the hydraulics and eliminate damage to the above roadway by preventing infiltration. All of this work was completed from the side of the road impeding traffic minimally. The HydraTite seal proved to be an economical in situ repair solution.

For more information about HydraTech, including technical data sheets, product literature, case studies, photos and videos, visit http://hydratechllc.com/hydratite-internal-pipe-joint-seals/, or call 513.827.9169.