Tucson Employs HDPE To Halt Contamination In Record Time

Tucson, AZ - The city of Tucson Arizona was recently disrupted by the largest sewer bypass operation in the nation's history. Over 20 miles of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe has been fused together in just four and a half weeks to bypass a ruptured sewer line. The 42-inch concrete mainline, which was built about 40 years ago, burst in several places and the resulting deluge caused three massive sinkholes in the downtown area. The repair alone is estimated at over $15 million not including property damage. The major concern for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is the 5-7 million gallons of untreated sewage that was released per day into the Santa Cruz River during the first seven days of the spill. The river is temporarily dry at this time. The need to minimize the environmental impact of the spill, and to complete the bypass before water returns to the river, was the driving force that spawned this massive undertaking. The break was a result of naturally occurring chemical reactions combined with erosion and forces resulting from natural fluid flow.