Utility-Academic Collaborative Partnership to Test, Evaluate, and Install an Innovative Seismic Pipeline Replacement Solution

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (District) is a publicly owned utility that supplies water to 1.4 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area. To address replacement of the District’s 4,200 miles of aging pipelines, the organization embarked on a major initiative to increase the replacement rate of the distribution system from 10 to upwards of 40 miles per year. To accomplish this, a research team at the District was formed to identify efficiencies, develop metrics, and evaluate innovative methods, technologies, and materials used in pipeline replacement projects. Essential to this sustainable pipeline replacement program is considering various AWWA certified pipe materials, products, and fittings for pilot installations to evaluate where cost-effective efficiencies can be gained during design and construction as well as mitigate risk to hazards posed by the District’s proximity to active seismic features, including the Hayward fault which intersects the entire service area. Moreover, to mitigate and reduce the risk of distribution pipeline breaks during a seismic event, the District recently installed AWWA C900 iPVC pipe with RCT Flex-Tite self-restraining fittings at various locations. In parallel, the Center for Infrastructure, Energy, and Space Testing (CIEST) at CU Boulder and the District initiated a collaborative experimental study of this system to evaluate seismic response under axial tension, axial compression, axial cyclic, and four-point bending loading. The study includes full-scale tests on 6-in. diameter DR-14 iPVC pipe specimens and the results indicate excellent performance of the pipeline system. Thus, results of this utility-academic collaboration between the District and CU Boulder highlight experimental testing results, an overview of project-specific geohazards, and lessons learned during construction and installation of this innovative seismic resilient pipe system. Critical research findings established during this collaborative partnership ensure sustained system reliability, sound infrastructure investment strategies, and long-term customer satisfaction.