Construction Cost – $19 Million & $17 Million Respectively
Location – San Bernardino & Riverside Counties, CA
Inland Feeder Badlands Tunnel Surge Protection Facility
Key Project Details
Purpose: The facility acts as a safety measure for the Inland Feeder Badlands Tunnel, protecting it from sudden pressure shocks (surges) caused by pump trips when moving water northward from Diamond Valley Lake.
Key Features:
It includes a new, 80-foot-tall, 30-foot-diameter open-top steel surge tank connected via a new 96-inch lateral pipeline to the existing 144-inch Inland Feeder.
Infrastructure: A buried isolation valve vault with an 84-inch butterfly valve and 30-inch bypass line will be installed.
Strategic Importance: This is one of four drought resiliency projects aimed at allowing MWD to move more water to areas dependent on the State Water Project, enhancing reliability in the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley.
Inland Feeder Rialto Intertie Project
The Inland Feeder Rialto Pipeline Intertie Project is a critical water infrastructure initiative by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). It is designed to re-engineer the regional water system to allow for bi-directional water flow, enabling water to be moved from storage in Diamond Valley Lake to communities in the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley during droughts.
Project Overview
Objective: To increase drought resilience and operational flexibility by providing an alternative water source to the Rialto Pipeline service area, which has traditionally been entirely dependent on the State Water Project (SWP).
Key Infrastructure:
Installation of an approximately 200-foot-long, 96-inch-diameter underground pipeline intertie.
Connection between the Inland Feeder and Rialto pipelines with new fabricated steel wye laterals located near the Devil’s Canyon Afterbay in San Bernardino County.
Installation of isolation valves, a Tee joint on the Rialto pipeline, and Wye Branches on the Inland Feeder.
Our Roles –
Both projects were undertaken concurrently on a 24/7 pipeline shutdown schedule. Projects required significant coordination & oversight, with 25 welders working around the clock between both projects. All tie-ins were completed on schedule thanks to the efforts and dedication of the Dean’s Certified Welding crews.
Badlands Tunnel Surge Protection Facility:
Cut into existing 144” diameter steel pipe, install 144” x 96” vertical wye with a fit & weld of two 144” double lap butt-straps, cut to fit the existing 96” surge tank pipeline, install 96” x 96” vertical to horizontal wye with a fit & weld of two 96” double lap butt-straps.
Inland Feeder Rialto Intertie Project:
Cut into existing 144” diameter steel pipe, install 144” x 96” horizontal wye lateral with a fit & weld of two 96” double lap butt-straps; cut into existing 136” diameter steel pipe, install 136” x 96” horizontal wye lateral with a fit & weld of two 96” double lap butt-straps. Fit & weld 200 lf of 96” intertie pipe.
