Month: June 2018

Complex Video Inspection – New York Aqueduct System

In the spring of 2018 Hennigan Engineering was sought out by an ENR top 50 engineering firm to become part of a specialized and uniquely qualified team of professionals to perform complex video inspection services and customized high pressure biomass/scale removal services in a large scale and multi-phased project for the New York Department of Environmental Protection’s 70 mile Aqueduct system.

This water supply system is one of the most extensive public water supply systems in the world that moves more than one billion gallons of clean water per day into the city and surrounding boroughs.  It is comprised of aqueducts, tunnels, reservoirs and pumps.  It provides water for the city’s more than eight million residents and its many visitors.  95% of the total water supply is supplied by gravity.

The other 5 % needs to be pumped to maintain pressure.  The original system was completed in 1928. The system’s Operation & Maintenance is the responsibility of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

We recently designed and deployed specialized pipeline video inspection equipment capable of recording pan/zoom/tilt data in color; from large diameter pipes with over 700-ft vertical sections that reach hundreds of feet below the elevation of the bottom of the Hudson River from Roosevelt Island.

In addition, we designed and successfully demonstrated a that fully cleaned the cementitious sidewalls of the aqueduct from difficult biomass and scale.  This involved custom-designed pressure cleaning heads that balanced pressure, approach angle, speed and volume to maximize cleaning production without causing damage to the aqueduct walls.  We will continue to support this project over the next several years.

High Pressure Cleaning of Aqueduct

Working on the aqueduct system in this capacity requires specialized equipment and personnel with specific expertise and experience that only Hennigan Engineering provides.

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