LBNL CMLC Water Line Replacement 

LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY

Project Value: $5 Million

Background

LBNL is a multi-program scientific research campus operated by the University of California for the United States Department of Energy (DOE). It is located on a 202-acre parcel of land in Alameda County, California. LBNL introduced multi-infrastructure improvement projects in 2020. 

LBNL was seeking for a general contractor or civil contractor to provide site civil underground piping services for the Cement Mortar Lined and Coated (CMLC) Water Line Replacement Project. The project was a collaborative effort between the contractor, engineer of record (GHD), and LBNL. The project consisted of replacing 3,200 feet of old CMLC piping with either ductile iron below grade or steel above grade across the LBNL site. 

The schedule was fast-tracked to be able to minimize the impact on the overall campus traffic and laboratories and researchers.

Scope

  • Traffic Controls 
  • Excavation 
  • Furnish and install new domestic/fire water lines. 
  • Hydrotest, flush and disinfect new install line per Engineering DWG, Owner Spec and NFPA standard. 
  • Cut over and replace existing water distribution system with new. 
  • Backfill and restore site. 
  • Stockpile material, transfer and dispose excess material. 

Project Highlights

  • Excavation utilizing hand-tools and a vacuum truck. 
  • Stockpile and dispose excess material. 
  • Replace existing CMLC domestic/fire water lines with Ductile-Iron-Pipe without interrupting existing feeds to buildings/facilities/arteries. 
  • Replaced more than 3,200 feet of water line in various sizes 

Challenges

  • COVID-19 Pandemic 
  • Working around live utilities such as 12kV duct bank, Gas line, Sanitary Sewer, and waterline. 
  • Lead time to procure Piping material due to the pandemic. 
  • Unforeseen obstruction; existing and live utilities.
  • Building and Laboratories schedule, access, and vibration restrictions. 

Solutions

To solve these challenges, it was important to; pre-plan, communicate with the client, supplier and subcontractor, monitor the schedule and budget, and provide solutions to the client for any issues encountered. 

Project Success

The project was successfully completed with no reported injuries during the 15,849 man-hours worked. The project was finished within the assigned budget ahead of schedule.