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ECI Completes 2,700-ft-long Horizontal Directional Bore
ECI recently completed a 2,700-ft-long directional bore into Lake Champlain as part of the Sand Bar State Park Water Line Replacement Project with the State of Vermont. The existing intake had become problematic during the high lake levels of May 2011 and the recent low lake levels of 2012. ECI’s scope of work included installing a 2,700-ft-long section of 4-inch-dia HDPE pipe by directional drilling in to Lake Champlain in Milton, Vermont.
ECI overcame several technical difficulties to complete this bore, including:
- Steering in the very loose sands which consisted of geologically recent river delta deposits. This problem was particularly difficult when trying to drill out of the lake bottom where the sediments were particularly soft.
- Torsional flexibility of the drill rods at that great length. Over to two rotation of the rods before the head moved!
- Handling of the long and very flexible 4-inch-dia HDPE pipe on the water with wind and current drift.
- Connecting the pull head to drill pipe underwater – using subcontracted scuba divers.
This is the longest bore ever attempted/completed by ECI. Our previous longest bore was 2,550 linear feet on the CSX Railway in Worcester, Massachusetts with three 2-inch-diameter innerduct conduits.
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