Technical Description:
• 34,075 sf of ArmorFlex® Class 50 Mats
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The Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) for Cheyenne, Wyoming transports all of their water through 250 miles of pipelines from the other side of the Continental Divide. One of these pipelines runs under the Laramie River just outside of Woods Landing. At this crossing, the bank of Laramie River was starting to scour all the way down to the pipelines' anchor blocks, exposing them.
In order to find a solution to remedy the situation, BOPU hired SEH Inc. to design a system that would protect the pipeline and the river at the bend where this pipeline crossed. During the design process, SEH worked with Contech Engineered Solutions to determine the best solution. Riprap was mentioned as an alternate for the rivers' embankment but at bid time, ArmorFlex® Class 50 Mats were selected as the best solution for the cost savings over riprap and the lack of long term maintenance.
E.O. Sowerwine, Project Manager with Earthworks Solutions, the project's contractor, added, "We chose ArmorFlex mats in lieu of riprap on this entire project due to the speed of installation. After the installation of the mats was completed, our original timeline was decreased by two weeks."
The biggest challenge of this project was adhering to the strict timeline. It was critical that protection of the pipeline and the embankment occurred while the water was low and before spawning of the Brown Trout began in October. The installation took one month and was completed well before the deadline. Three years later, the ArmorFlex mats are performing well and exceeding all expectations.
"After three years of service, the ArmorFlex mats installed at the Laramie Pipeline Protection project have performed and met the expectations of BOPU," concluded Casey Whitman, Project Manager with BOPU. "They provided a permanent solution in protecting our pipeline."
Technical Description:
• 34,075 sf of ArmorFlex® Class 50 Mats
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