Military Consolidation Project - FPVC installation - Beaufort, South Carolina

The completion of another record breaking pipe installation, this time at Parris Island, a marine training base in Beaufort, South Carolina, marks a series of successful and lengthy crossings of Fusible PVC™ (FPVC®) pipe.  Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA) contracted Mears Group, Inc. to horizontally directional drill two crossings, 6,400 feet of 16 inch DR 18 FPVC and 600 feet of 16 inch DR 21 FPVC under Archers Creek and Malecon Drive, respectively.  Underground Solutions, Inc. (UGSI) supplied and fused the Fusible PVC™ product pipe for this project.

These installations are part of a project to divert the Parris Island wastewater flows to a BJWSA regional facility.  The military base, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, trains about 17,000 recruits each year.  BJWSA had previous experience with both Mears Group and UGSI during installation of 5,120 feet of 10 inch FPVC® in 2008 to deliver reuse water to the Secession Golf Course on Lady’s Island.  For two years, that stood as the record breaking crossing in a single pull using thermoplastic pipe.

The first crossing of this most current project is the longest installation of Fusible PVC™ with a drilled length of 6,400 feet.  Installing the crossing from Jericho Island to Little Horse Island, the Mears’ crew drilled under tidal marshland on either side of Archers Creek.  Mears utilized their 500,000 lb. rig on the entry side at Jericho Island.  They set up their 140,000 lb. rig at the exit side of the crossing at Little Horse Island to assist in the pre-reaming operations.   

The second crossing was across Malecon Drive, which is the main road on Parris Island.  During this 600 feet crossing, soft sands were encountered during drilling.  Mears, using its 140,000 lb. rig, pulled the FPVC® pipe into place within two hours.  The two drilled crossings are being connected in a conventional manner with restrained MJ fittings.