NC Currents: Not Your Typical Sanitary Sewer Outfall

By definition, a sanitary sewer outfall is any pipe or conduit that is used to carry raw sewage or treated effluent into a final point of discharge. A “typical” new construction sanitary sewer outfall includes mainline sanitary sewer piping of varying size and material. This piping traverses through low-lying areas along with precast concrete manhole structures. Outfall projects also usually include adding, demolishing or rehabilitating a lift station.

Durham’s Eno River Sanitary Sewer Outfall Replacement project had all the ingredients for a typical outfall project. But this was not your typical outfall project.

In this article published in the Spring 2021 issue of NC Currents magazine, Jim Harding, PE, principal engineer with the City of Durham and Jacob Bowes, PE, project engineer with McKim & Creed, explain the complexities associated with the Eno River Sanitary Sewer Outfall Replacement project. From determining a new alignment to to crossing the river three times to microtunneling under a major highway, this challenging project culminated in success.

Click on the image at left to for the entire article.