Record Directional Drill Used To Repair Force Main Beneath New Jersey Bay

Ortley Beach, N. J. - Pelican Island is a small residential area located in Dover Township, New Jersey. Sewage generated on Pelican Island used to be pumped underneath Harbor Island and two channels in Barnegat Bay to a main sewer interceptor in Ortley Beach via a pump station and force main.

This force main was owned and operated by the Dover Municipal Utilities Authority (DMUA). It was installed at a shallow depth following the profile of the existing grade.

In 2002, the DMUA identified several locations along the forty-year old force main where the pipe was broken. Accordingly , the DMUA was forced to shut down the pump station and start and expensive around-the-clock tanker truck shuttle operation to transport the sewage to the main sewer interceptor in Ortley Beach.

Multiple efforts were made by the DMUA to repair the force main, however additional breaks or failures continued to surface with each repair attempt. An analysis performed by the DMUA identified in total , seven breaks along the force main. It was determined that these breaks were caused by marine activities such as dredging, boat anchoring and channel work.

Due to the depth, inaccessibility, and severity of the breaks, the DMUA determined that repairing the force main was neither a viable nor efficient solution and that the force main would instead have to be replaced.

In June 2003, the DMUA retained T&M Associates, a multi-disciplined engineering firm based in Middletown, New Jersey, to develop plans and specifications for the replacement of the force main. An analysis performed by T&M determined that the most economical and environmentally sound solution was to install the new force main using directional drilling techniques. By using this method, the new force main could be installed in a single drilling operation under Harbor Island and Barnegat Bay at depths well below the two channel bottoms.

With cooperation from the New Jersey Department of environmental Protection (NJDEP), the DMUA declared the project an emergency and, assisted by T&M, secured expedited treatment of its permit applications. Permits that normally take 90 to 160 days to obtain were all secured with remarkable cooperation by the NJDEP, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in less than two weeks.

Once plans were completed and permits secured, a contract in the amount of $318,000 was awarded to J. F. Kiely Construction Co. of Long Branch, New Jersey to perform the work. Kiely's principal subcontractor was the Miller Drilling Company, a highly reputable drilling specialist base out of Des Moines, Iowa, known throughout the country as "Miller the Driller."

In early July 2003, Miller mobilized and began the directional drill installation of the new 6" force main. The directional drill operation lasted a total of seven days in which Miller Successfully installed approximately 3,200 linear feet of pipe at a maximum depth of 84 feet under Barnegat Bay, a depth that will prevent damage by marine activities. After drilling across the Bay, the on-shore force main connections were installed and tested and the pump station was back in service by the end of July.

According to data provided by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York / New Jersey Region, this drilling project was the second longest directional drill for a sewer system in the history of New Jersey. DMUA Executive Director, John Broome, in complimenting those involved with the project indicated that "this project was one of the best run and managed sewer construction jobs I have been associated with in 38 years of pipe installation."

T&M Associates is a consulting, planning and engineering firm based in Middletown, NJ for more than 35 years. With a staff of over 240, including more than 90 licensed professionals, T&M combines professional expertise with modern technological resources to provide public and private sector clients with a full range of engineering services.