Replacing Pipes without Digging

Improving the aging infrastructure of St. Louis' sewer pipeline with new technology

Crews have been working on a three mile stretch of waste water sewer off Lemay Ferry Road since late September. What is interesting here is that no earth has been overturned. There are no big new holes in the ground. The process they are using to replace these sewers literally works from the inside out.

It`s called cured-in-place piping, or CCIP, and it`s a product that has revolutionized the maintenance and repair of sewers lines throughout the country.

Starting in late September MSD crews in conjunction with SAK of O'Fallon have been deploying CCIP along the three mile stretch of road in South County.

Using CCIP is like using angioplasty on a clogged artery. It works by lining the existing pipes with a new tubular sleeve made of a special resin. A process that can take several hours depending on the length of the run.

Crews then inject the sleeve with steam or, in this case hot water, which activates the resin. After a period of several more hours the resin cures transforming the sleeve into solid plastic, essentially a new pipe, inside of the old.

MSD is using CCIP All over their network. It`s part of their multi-year project clear designed to improve water quality and mitigate wastewater concerns throughout the St. Louis region.

Source: Fox2Now

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here