It’s been a long month for the folks at the Uintah Water Conservancy District as well as for the irrigators that were waiting for their water. Thankfully, the water deliveries are going as the needed repair on the pipeline was a success. On May 19th, the new section of the Steinaker Service Canal pipeline had a section of the pipe fail during a pressure test. The pipe manufacturer, supplier, contractor, and the water district all worked together to get a repair in place as irrigators anxiously awaited their deliveries. Unfortunately, the initial repair failed, adding several more days to the wait as the new concrete pipe encasement cured. The second repair job was a success and deliveries started up on June 2nd. The initial pipe failure was on the recently finished phase of the Steinaker Service Canal enclosure project which brought the pipeline up to 1500 West and about 1300 South. The pipe installed on the project is the largest diameter pressure pipe to be installed in the United States. The next phase of the project will continue the pipeline north with the ultimate goal of connecting directly with Steinaker in the future. While this has been a trying month, the Uintah Water Conservancy District General Manager William Merkley says they still have every confidence in the world that the pipeline itself is sound and they do not anticipate any other problems.
