A large water main has become partiality exposed in a good sized creek due to bank erosion and channel movement. Its happened over the last 40 years since it was installed. I’m looking at ways to add cover to protect the pipe and stabilize it. Riprap, sheet piles and gabions have all been...
Many jurisdictions have a storm sewer system design requirement that the calculated energy grade line be below the rims of manholes and the throats of inlets. This is in additional to the requirement that the hydraulic grade line be 2' (or something close to that) below rims and throats, which...
I have several spring cans that I will need to verify the hot setting, trouble is that when its hot, I can't get anywhere near the pipe or the cans to look at them. Any ideas how to do this?...Looking for an alternate to setting up cameras. I can cool them back down later and check what...
There is an electrical manhole with a cover frame designed for an inner and outer solid cover, one below the other. The inner cover is locking. Does anyone know what the purpose of using the double manholes?
We have a couple of 30-year transformers with pads that are 4.5' deep, 10'long and x 20' wide. We are replacing the transformers, but want to reuse the pads. The new transformers are about 20% heavier, and has its center or gravity shifted off the center-line in the short direction of the...
Does anyone have suggestions how to write a max wheel load spec for a heavy haul move (contract to move transformers at a power plant)? I'm concerned about damage to pavements and underground pipes/conduit. Tranformers are about 100,000lbs filled with oil, and will be crossing a mish-mash of...
How would you explain, conceptually, to a "non-geotechnically" trained civil engineer what occurs in saturated soils at the boundary between dense (non-cohesive AND non-liquefaction prone) soils; over, looser (non-cohesive) soils that are susceptible to liquefaction?
For example:
-what keeps...
I'm trying to determine the capacity of a concrete drainage flume at the end of a reverse-draining cul-de-sac. (A cul-de-sac that drains to the back.)
I've calculated its capacity as an open channel, but I don't think that adequately represents the situation since I'd expect losses at the...
Does anyone have any words of wisdom on pavement grades for an aircraft apron for a Group 3 Hangar (small private aircraft)?
I found information on minimum grades; it seems that 1% to 1-1/2% are desirable minimums for asphalt and PCC. I gathered from one source that a min longitudinal grade of...
I’m defining a floodplain in a desert/rangeland area that's very flat and broad. The 100-year storm has 600 cfs flowing through the area from a 400Ac watershed. According to the FEMA FIRM study downstream from me the flow spreads up to 800' across. Our site is about a mile and half from the...
I was looking for some help on my proposed water service layout, I attached a sketch.
We were thinking of installing an extra service tap, meter box, and upsizing the line for future expansion. The idea is to add another meter and backflow and tie them together later.
My concern is putting the...
On private commercial project, say a school campus, where the water lines are privately owned and maintained:
Would you spec out 4" pvc domestic supply waterline as schedule 40/80 or would you use a C900 (PC-???) pipe? Is there an advantage at this size to one over the other, fittings, gasket...
My company (Civil Land Development)is organized into individual design groups, we have a Senior Engineer who is the Engineer of Record on the drawings, then usually one fairly experienced Engineering Intern, and a couple technicians. This arrangement seems to work ok, but there are times when...
Does anyone out there have experience with pressurized sanitary sewer systems? I'm an engineer for Land Development Consultants, while we have plenty of experience with gravity sewers, we have basically none with these types of systems. It does appears however that a pressure system is the...
Has anyone else experienced completely ungrateful clients, who seem to have no idea what we do for them and little respect for our profession?
I don't know how many more meetings I can sit through with our clients slobbering all over the attorney and the architect (no offense architects) but...
Could I get some of your thoughts on how effective you believe storm water detention basins are in small developing urban watersheds with the goal of creating "no net increase" in run-off rate from individual sites in the 2, 10, 100 Year event?
I just don't believe in most cases these basins...
Can anyone suggest software that can help in the preparation of engineers estimates for civil construction projects?
Our company has collected and continues to collect quit a bit of bid data that we can use in estimating new projects, but it's not organized well, we now just browse through a...
