Saving Portland's Sanitary Sewers
Maria Thi Mai
Sullivan Gulch Sewer: 94 years and still working (with a little help)
By Don Henry, Steve Hawkins and Jim Wood of Environmental Services
The Sullivan Gulch Sewer, constructed in 1911, is a 72-inch horseshoe shaped pipe that collects sewage and stormwater from about 1,700 acres. If you live in inner northeast Portland, wastewater from you neighborhood probably ends up in this sewer.
Construction methods back then were radically different. There were no ready-mix concrete trucks. The sewer was cast in place and strengthened with square, half inch steel rebar and a stone block bottom. As Portland developed, the City placed about 50 feet of fill dirt over the sewer.
Visual inspections last year showed that nearly 260 feet of the Sullivan Gulch Sewer was near collapse. Environmental Services started work in July to replace 252 feet of the old pipe with 82-inch steel reinforced concrete pipe. The repair site is near NE 16th Drive just north of Interstate 84 in a steep embankment. The repairs cost about $785,000. The rest of the Sullivan Gulch Sewer can be spot repaired or lined to extend its life and serve Portland for another decade or two.
The City’s contractor for the work, Steller J, removed an intact ten-foot section of the old sewer. It’s a great example of early 20th century construction techniques. Sewer repairs like this are not uncommon in Portland and it’s a challenge the City will face again. Much of Portland’s sewer infrastructure is close to 100 years old.
Posted by Maria Thi Mai on October 27, 2005
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Filed Under Environmental Services, Livability & Environment, Northeast Portland
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