Lakeview's Lot 11 has its own fire hydrant. The Valley City Fire Department's Fire Inspector, Dave Roth, required Lakeview to install a private fire hydrant for Lot 11 due to its distance from the West River Road hydrant near Lot 12. The Lot 11 home site location is over 1,000 feet from the West River Road hydrant, across the 2-1/2-acre lake. Lot 11 is reached by driving from West river Road, on the common drive shared with Lots 10, 12 and 13, then onto it's own private drive near Lot 10. This is turnoff is the location chosen by the Valley City Fire Inspector for the hydrant.
Lot 11 is across the lake and to the left of the driveway which is on the dam to the upper lake. The 6-inch supply line for the hydrant would have to pass through the dam to the upper lake without damaging its structural integrity. The photo below shows the relationship among the lots, with Lot 13 being to the left, before crossing on this driveway, lot 12 would be to the right and Lot 10 would be at the end of this driveway to the right. The lower lake next to West River Road is 26 foot below the level of the upper lake. This would require the use of a company that does directional boring.
I was recommended to such a company, Precision Directional Boring, a Valley City company no less, by a Wolfe Bros. Inc. employee. Jeff Allen. When I contacted Precision, Will Roth quickly came out for a consultation regarding the work to be done. Since the safest way to take utilities out to Lot 11 would be to directionally bore all lines through the dam to the upper lake, we decided to place the water and hydrant lines which have to be at least 4 feet below ground on the east (right) side of the dam. The electric/cable/telephone/fiber optic conduits which are to be 3 feet below ground were to be bored on the west (left) side of the dam. My project manager was Brian Willis, though Will Roth and his German Shepherd, Sheba, also was on-site often.
The day for the start of the undergrounding was March 23, 2009. The stakes for various undergrounding pathways were in place; the depth of the spillway pipe for the upper lake was determined; and the well, irrigation and geothermal lines for the Lot 10 home that they would have to cross were located. All was ready for the crews to begin their hard and diligent work.
This will be where the Lot 11 hydrant vault will be located on Lot 12. The dormant willow tree that is left of the utility pole will be moved 30 feet into the lot and the hydrant vault will be placed left of and behind the utility pole, on the Lot 12 property.
Precision Directional Boring (PDB) had crews and equipment on-site bright and early. These are the lengths of 6-inch pipe needed for the hydrant supply line coming in from West River Road.
Before any boring is done, the lengths of pipe have to be "butt fused" together. This is a close-up of the machine used for the larger-bore pipes. This process provides strength to the joints. The machine cleans the edges of the pipes to be fused, they are held in place by clamps and fused together.
This is a finished butt-fused joint in the 6-inch pipe. As the pipe length grows the pipe is pulled to the location where it will drawn into the bore hole.
Once the lengths of pipe (or pipes in this case as the water lines for Lots 11 and 10 were to be pulled through the same bore hole) are all prepared, the boring machine, already positioned begins its work. This work moves quickly given no large rocks, etc., would be encountered. The operator is able to know and steer the depth and direction of the "drill head" as well as to thread on additional lengths of "drill stem" pipes from the machine. All of this is done quickly. One of the workmen also double-checks the depths with a locator and writes the depths on the soil with a spray can.
The boring machine starts its bore.
The drill head and stems make a very small initial opening which will be enlarged after the hole is completed.
This is a close up of the boring machine and its rack of drill stems.
The initial bore will be to the location for the hydrant vault by West River Road. At the end of the bore a pilot hole has already been dug to work attach the bore enlargement device and later the pipes that will be pulled through. To aid the movement of the enlargement device and the pipes, a solution of bentonite and clay slurry will be fed into the piping attached to the enlargement device.
The 1st pathway is due east, to West River Road. The area to the left of that green electricity transformer will be excavated to later connect the line from the road to the line along the right of the dam.
This is the hole where the drill head will appear. Later the pipes will be fed through the enlarged opening back to the boring machine.
The drill head and connected drill stems have reached the hole that was dug. The other pipe is an old water line that will be abandoned.
The 6-inch hydrant supply line with the "towing head" which will be attached to the drill stem with chain waits to join the two 2-inch water lines, each having a "Chinese finger" to grip them firmly as they also will be pulled into place along with the 6-inch line.
Attaching the chain to the pulling head. Next, the 2-inch pipes will join the 6-inch, each attached to their chains.
The four lines, one 6-inch and three 2-inch travelling smoothly along the hole, aided by the bentonite solution in the drill hole.
In place, the lines wait for the hydrant vault hole to be dug and the hydrant vault to be installed. At the other end by the green electric transformer, the hole will be dug to connect this line with the one that will be bored next alongside the dam.
While in position, the boring machine also had bored the TV, cable, phone lines out to West River Road and installed them to the area by the green electric transformer box. Now the boring machine is repositioned for its bore alongside the right of the dam to the lake.
This is the hole dug at the other end of the line where the lines will be fed into when the hydrant line/water lines hole is bored and expanded.
The Lot 11 private hydrant will be placed here. The Lot 10 water line to the house will be bored and connected here. This is also where the Lot 11 water line bore will come from the Lot 11 property line and will ultimately be connected to the 2-inch supply line from West River Road.
As the drill hole is expanded the solution of bentonite puts pressure on the surrounding soil and seeps to the surface. Not a problem, but a hole is dug at the site of the seepage to allow it to escape.
Attaching the chain to the "towing head" securely fastened to the 6-inch hydrant supply line. next the 2-inch lines will be fastened.
The 2-inch lines with the "Chinese finger" attached to their ends. The finger will be securely taped to the pipe with duct tape to hold it in place until the "finger" digs into the plastic and grips it firmly.
On their way. The 3 supply lines are about to make their journey down the enlarged drill hole to meet the line coming in from West River Road.
At the other (south) end of this line, an "L"-shaped hole has been dug to connect the 4 lines. One is the 6-inch hydrant supply line that is dedicated to the Lot 11 private hydrant. One is the 2-inch water line that will end at the Lot 11 property line, one is the 2-inch water line that will supply the house on Lot 10, and the third will connect to a 2-inch line that will be bored and installed to the Lot 13 property line. The previous owner had installed a 1-1/2-inch line but was unable to keep the lot.
Finally, attaching the hydrant to the supply line. There are a number of couples and seals involved with the transition from the 6-inch plastic supply line and the hydrant base.
With a little help from a backhoe, the hydrant assembly is lowered into position and held firmly while the connection is made.
The hydrant is braced into position and held securely while small rounded rock is gently dumped into the hole to further brace and protect the hydrant piping.
Making the connection between the dam line and the in-I-coming line from the hydrant vault location at West River Road, the connection will be made in this "L"-shaped hole near the electric transformer box on Lot 12.
A gentle bend rather than a sharp 90-degree bend is required for good water flow. Once all of the water lines are connected, this hole will be back-filled and ready for planting.
Next the hydrant vault is installed near West River Road, but not without a few challenges. There was considerable snow overnight on April 6th. The backhoe broke into the water main on West River Road, so a repair had to be made. The gas line on West River Road wasn't located where the locator flags indicated. That also was breached bringing out Columbia Gas Company and the Valley City Fire Department. That line was repaired as well. But those issues behind them, Precision completed the installation of the hydrant vault and brought water to the private hydrant for Lot 11.
Time for Mack Industries, Inc. to bring and place the hydrant vault into the hole prepared for the vault.
Next is the installation of the sealing tape to seal both vaults together into a water-resistant unit.
The dual valves for the control of the water flow to the hydrant.
The backhoe is used to lower the valve assembly into the lower section of the vault because the top half of the vault is closed with a hinged opening and the Valve assembly would be very awkward to insert.
Ready for the top section of the vault, Mack's lifts it from the truck onto the bottom section.
Separating the 6-inch line from the three 2-inch lines which will be connected to their three water meters.
Connection made into the vault.
Valve assembly is connected to the hydrant supply line.
Next comes backfill around the supply line with small round rocks.
Tiny installs the cut-off valve from the street.
And then Tiny installed the cut-off valve in front of the hydrant vault.
Soil is repositioned around the hydrant vault at West River Road. All connections to the vault valves and the water line meters have been completed.
Success at the Lot 11 hydrant. Will Roth is flushing the lines at the hydrant. Later he painted the hydrant a bright shiny red.
