Just a few months before drivers sped around the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit, the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) detected a leak in a 36-inch diameter water main running under a section of the track on Koval Lane.
LVVWD crews faced several unusual challenges as they raced to repair the pipeline. Work needed to be completed before the F1 drivers started their engines for the November Grand Prix, and the pipeline crossed under a large stormwater culvert at Winnick Avenue, limiting easy access to the water line.
The typical process to repair the water main would have required months of coordination with Clark County Public Works and large, disruptive excavation to access the pipeline. Crews would have had to remove the stormwater box culvert and redirect potential stormwater while repairs were underway and then replace the culvert when work on the water pipe was completed, adding to the complexity and expense of the project.
Instead of excavating an entire section of pipe to access the leak and seal it from the outside, a team of experts repaired it from the inside. They inserted an expandable band through less intrusive access points and secured it in place to seal off the leak.
Before construction began, LVVWD crews worked to reduce the project’s impact on customers served by the water main that stretches from Sands Avenue to Flamingo Road. Crews interconnected two pipelines to ensure customers were not without service and had sufficient water pressure, and they coordinated with local traffic controllers to avoid major business disruptions, which is important in the busy corridor near the Las Vegas Strip.
Leveraging innovative infrastructure technologies is just another way the LVVWD ensures system reliability and safe water delivery to all customers. For more information about your water system, visit lvvwd.com.
Your investment, your water, use it responsibly.
