KO works to resolve C-Bar issues

Lucas Lang, KO Construction's general foreman working on the C-Bar Estates after Swagger abandoned the site, describes the efforts KO are undertaking to correct previous work and put the project back on track.

After C-Bar failed the pressure test on the waterlines recently, Lang hired Hot Iron Construction to work in tandem with the KO crew in replacing and repairing the lines throughout the site.

Lang said that when his crew arrived onsite several months ago, the water and sewer lines were in place within the 2000 feet of open trench. KO backfilled the lines, complying with the legal number of 200 feet of open ditch at one time.

They have complied with all necessary tests, having no idea the previous contractor had not connected joints or tested any part of the lines embedded.

"Right now," Lang says, "A lot of this stuff isn't holding air pressure so we have to go back through and dig up all the spots that we find aren't holding that pressure."

He explains how the crews are proceeding: "What we do is isolate from manhole to manhole in sections like 35 feet in and we're able isolate what areas those are by putting a pig in one side and a pig in the other and running them so far in."

Lang shared a couple of the situations the crew has faced thus far, "The last one we had, the joint wasn't on all the way. We exposed it and it just fell off, so we put it back on and put it back together. They pressure tested it and it held, everything was good... Another spot... we just took the pipe apart and buttered it all back together and it was able to hold pressure. So we've only actually had to replace one stick so far."

Lang, who also runs the heavy equipment discussed the line he had just opened as it was not holding pressure either.

"We have to dig it all up, but what I'm actually doing now is digging up each joint and having Hot Iron pressure test it to try to figure out exactly what spot's where. Every joint's 13 feet so you just go that 13 feet, test it and if it's leaking, then go to the next one, if it's leaking, go to the next one, until we find where it's actually going to hold and we can stop there and fix what we have exposed and then backfill it."

The foreman anticipates this work to take at least two more months: "We have more dig-ups on this issue as well as all the approaches to get ready and cement, but after we get all this done, it'll be pretty easy. We've turned on all the water out here, so we know the water works."

The crews have tested the east side of Pine Have Road as well and have found it to be "all good".

Lang has been working for KO, a family business, for eight months and enjoys the work and the opportunity to work on the C-Bar site.