SO. Here is the article Aaron and I wrote for the Preston Citizen (with some input from the Mayor--oh wait, that's Aaron ;)) and my published newspaper-savvy friend Suzie. Of course, the article they printed was totally different. But here it is, regardless:
MAPLE SPRINGS WATERWORKS TUNNEL ALMOST COMPLETE
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| View to the West from the Tunnel Entrance. Photo by Dawn Taylor |
On October 16th, 2014 Maple Springs water was flowing again to the homes in Dayton, Idaho marking completion of the Dayton Water Works Tunnel project. Manual Labor in the tunnel started on July 19, 2014. Primarily volunteer crews worked on various Saturday mornings with some weekday trips scattered in as well for those who could not make it on Saturdays. The city requested that volunteers sign in and out prior to working. To date, at least 92 volunteers contributed over 500 hours of labor. There were several volunteers who donated time and support anonymously as well. “We are still 8 volunteers short of making our goal of 100, and there is still some backfilling work left on the hill slope to help achieve that goal,” Mayor Beutler says. As a council we have been overwhelmed with all the support we have received even from people that do not live within our city boundaries.”
The day before the initial volunteer crew was scheduled to arrive, Vance Broadhead and Richard Reeder took a backhoe up to open the tunnel entrance which had been washed in with soil and rocks. The existing opening allowed one volunteer (slight of build) to crawl in the tunnel head-first. During the excavation a 300 gallon gas tank with the ends cut off was discovered. Placement suggested it was there to help hold open the tunnel entrance. At the base of this gas tank was a concrete slab, engraved with the date “1966” and initials of the mayor and city council members in that year. This slab was placed on the side of the mountain for display and many commented and admired it during the project. (see pic)
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| Capstone Uncovered During Excavation. |
The first scheduled volunteer crew day started out shaky with only 3 people arriving at the designated 7 AM meeting time. “I was pretty worried,” Bruce Coburn remarked to Mayor Aaron Beutler, joking that he thought Beutler was more liked than the numbers showed. As the small work crew gathered equipment together, the trucks and 4 wheelers began rolling in, and the initial disappointment was replaced with excitement and anticipation. Many of the volunteers had never been to the tunnel, and the 30 minute drive to the tunnel entrance was rougher than they were expecting. The road had not seen use with that many vehicles in succession in the last 76 years. “What was once a barely visible two track trail now appears to be a main road,” Beutler remarked.
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| Day 1 Volunteers Gather for Hard work, July 19, 2014. Photo by Dawn Taylor |
After arrival on site, the first order of business was to light the work site, a 500-ft long tunnel boring through the mountain shale, initially created with picks, jackhammers and dynamite in 1936. “We brainstormed for a way to light the whole tunnel without spending a lot of money,” Beutler said, “And came up with the idea of using holiday rope lights.” The city purchased approximately 500 feet of rope lights and connected them into two 250-ft lengths (the maximum length recommended by the manufacturer). Volunteers installed them into the tunnel ceiling and then plugged them into a generator on site. “The lights are the best part of the whole tunnel,” volunteer Suzie Campbell remarked, “I’ve never seen such a romantic work site.” (see picture)
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| "Romantic" Tunnel Lighting System |
While the work lights were being installed, the remainder of the crew began digging a trench along the side of the original pipe. Most of the digging required picks and digging bars to shatter the shale rock, which was then shoveled to the side. The volunteers spread out along the tunnel and began digging; over half of the tunnel work was completed on the 1st day. There were several rock ledges encountered in the tunnel for which a jackhammer was necessary to break through. A deep respect was earned by all for those men who initially built the tunnel in the mid 1930’s.
Once the tunnel work was near complete, work began on the mountain slope angling down from the north end of the tunnel. This steep 60 degree slope was a challenge as it was harder to stay standing upright on the steep mountainside than it was to dig. Work progressed for most volunteers by first digging a hole for their feet, and then using a pick to follow along and expose the existing pipe. It was quickly found that rolling rocks presented a potential hazard. Keeping the digging crew in close proximity, and keeping the crews small is a key to preventing accidents, pointed out city worker Richard Reeder after a near encounter with a fast moving rock.
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West Side National Honor Society
Students, October, 4th, 2014 Digging on the Slope
(photo by Tyler Telford)
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| Photo by Tyler TelfordWest Side National Honor Society Students, October, 4th, 2014 Pictured left to right Amanda Hansen (advisor) Shayler Thain, Peyton Brown, Neils Steglemier, Wyatt Bowles, Mckenzie Koller, Darcy Povey, Matt Turnbow, Brennon Henderson, Mattie Creager, Abbie Povey, Brandon Olson, Savannah Frankman, Tyler Meek, Marcus Turnbow, Zach Winter and Tyler Telford (Advisor not pictured) |
Another potential hazard on the project were the rattlesnakes living on the mountain. “I heard a lot of initial concern about those rattlesnakes on the hill,” Mayor Beutler said. “When the original pipe was installed, there was one man who died after a rattlesnake bite. This wasn’t something we wanted to deal with this time around.” Everyone was advised to watch closely for snakes and to carry a shovel or a pick. Surprisingly, crews only reported 3 rattlesnakes during the whole project, and none of them were actively threatening anyone. There were more comments about the pack rat who inhabited a section halfway through the tunnel. The rat was often found sitting on a ledge watching the activity. “It’s such a non-imposing supervisor,” commented Jeffery Porter. Councilman Zon Alder didn’t agree, one text said, “Did you see that rat in the tunnel? Nearly bit my finger off!”
Rocks, rattlesnakes, and rats aside, it was a wonderful blessing that there were no injuries during the entire duration of the project. Many had sore backs and sore heads from the low and uneven tunnel ceiling, but the blood spilt was mostly from popped blisters.
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| Newly installed Pipe (on left) in place on site. |
Pipe installation began on Friday October 3rd and was completed a quick 8 days later on Saturday October 11th. Two of the most challenging aspects of this project were installing the pipe through the tunnel and down the slope. Each 50 foot pipe segment weighed between 175-333 pounds, and they had to be fused together individually, then pulled into place. “Many hours of brainstorming went into deciding a process to pull the pipe into the tunnel and up the hill,” Beutler said. “I can’t even tell you how many people contributed ideas on how to make it work. The final process went more smoothly than we thought was possible. We set up a snatch block pulley (compliments of Jerry Jensen and Joe Naylor) at the entrance and exit of the tunnel. A steel cable was then threaded through these snatch blocks and one end was connected to a backhoe and the other end connected to the new pipe. The backhoe then slowly drove backward along the tunnel access road, pulling each additional 50 foot pipe length into the tunnel as it was fused. “
The pipe
installation down the slope was actually an installation pulled up from the
bottom. The main difference between this
challenge and the tunnel was that the pipes were fused together before pulling
them to the permanent placement site.
The 710-ft cable was strung down the slope from the top of the ridge to
the bottom of the canyon and then connected to the 550-ft pipe. At the top of the ridge the city’s dump truck
was used as a dead weight with a snatch block pulley attached to the truck’s
pintel hitch, allowing the backhoe to drive along the ridge road towing the
cable and new pipe up the steep slope.
Upon
completion, the new line was flushed for several days, and then after
construction water samples were analyzed and determined safe, water was turned
back into the system. During the project construction, a total of 3700-ft of
original spiral welded steel pipe was replaced with high density polyethylene
pipe (HDPE). The new pipe was also designed to act as a penstock for
installation of a future turbine to offset energy costs for the city wells and
street lights.
Engineering
estimates from July of 2012 estimated construction costs of the pipeline
replacement would be $589,457. Because the city was able to come together with
volunteer time, ideas, support, and many gallons of sweat, the project ended up
with total costs at less than 10% of that estimate. The project was completely
funded using money in the city’s coffers without any grants or Idaho DEQ
loans.
“It’s great to see the way this project came
together”, Beutler says, “In addition to our community volunteers, special recognition
needs to be given to the entire city council for their unparalleled support and
willingness to take this on, and also the previous city councils and mayors who
have spent hours working on and discussing this project and laying the ground
work for it to be completed.”
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| Mayor Aaron Beutler and Councilman Zon Alder at the Original Tunnel Entrance |
When asked why
he chose to pursue the project this way, Mayor Beutler responded: “Some people
feel it’s easier to hire a contractor to do work, and just pay the bill; but
spending an hour or two by the side of a neighbor or a friend has built
connections and friendships that will last a lifetime. This water line project has been more than
just replacing a water line. It’s helped to build a community that takes pride
in caring for one another. There is a
feeling of satisfaction that comes from doing a project like this that you just
can’t get from paying a bill.“
