Lafayette, LA Utilities

If It Ain’t Broke, Fix It Anyway

Challenge
Get out in front of numerous accidents waiting to happen in the 696 miles of sanitary sewer in the Lafayette Utilities System (LUS), which serves 105,000.

Solution
Among other tasks in this large project, we helped LUS avoid a $300,000 rerouting of 1,000 feet of undersized mainline by instead bursting the 8-inch clay pipe and pulling through 10-inch HDPE. The out-of-pocket cost was less than $50,000, plus $30,000 in labor. Service interruption was limited to a week, rather than an estimated month or more, and the driveways and yards of 26 homeowners were left untouched. With our method, co-trenched utilities are less likely to be affected, and above-ground infrastructure isn’t harmed. We worked with our research division, Geaux Trenchless, to develop tools and techniques adapter to the city’s needs. View details.