Eden Park Feeder Replacement

This project included the replacement of 1,300 ft. of 35 in. and 1,300 ft. of 36 in. 145 year old cast iron water main with a single 54 in. Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) line. This, in itself, is not a huge project, but it was complicated as both the 35 in. and 36 in. mains were located within a Civil War era brick tunnel. The brick tunnel runs from the existing Eden Park Pump Station (Approximately 60 ft. deep) to the Elsinor Tower (Eden Park Castle) which is a local historic landmark built by the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) as a valve house. The valve, no longer exist within the tunnel; however, the Eden Park Castle is still a local architectural landmark to the area. The only access into the tunnel is a door within the Eden Park Castle and a standard manhole located near the stage of the Seasongood Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheatre in surrounding Eden Park. This project became further complicated because of the re-development of the property abutting the Eden Park Castle site. The GCWW worked with the site developer's engineer to prepare plans that would meet the schedule and site concerns of the developer. Plan specifications were developed and a contract was let for construction of the new 54 in. main. Bowen Engineering of Indianapolis was contracted to excavate a 60+ foot deep access shaft next to the Eden Park Pump Station, demolish and remove the old cast iron water mains, install a 54 in. PCCP water main within the tunnel and connect to the existing system. This project was completed on time without any adverse effects to the WCPO-TV development. Some of the interesting issues involved with the project, were the significant amounts of groundwater, the existing manhole abandonment, as well as the rail system installation all within the confines of an aged, deep tunnel.