Ft. Indiantown Gap upgrading infrastructure, new sewer lines

Photo By Lt. Col. Angela King-Sweigart | Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bobby Bowlin examines the progress on the sewer line replacement at Fort Indiantown Gap in Feb. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Angela King-Sweigart)  

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, UNITED STATES

03.28.2017

Story by Maj. Angela King-Sweigart 

Fort Indiantown Gap

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa.-The installation is in the midst of a year-long large project to renovate sewer lines and manholes from the 1950s and 1960s with modern PVC pipes in areas 12 and 13.

The project entails contractors digging up the old pipes and manholes and replacing them with new ones. More than 11,000 linear feet of sewer mains are slated to be replaced, along with more than 50 manholes. The project is anticipated to save the installation money by making the system more efficient and reducing storm water infiltration and inundation at the sewer plant.

The installation dates from the 1930s, but the lines in the affected area were installed about 70 years ago when terra cotta pipes were standard.

“Terra cotta is a great building material,” explained Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bobby Bowlin, project manager from training center engineering. “Ancient Roman ruins are still around using this. But, it has some drawbacks. The largest is the joints begin to deteriorate over time.”
The digging has unearthed some objects from the installation’s past, which were donated to the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum located on post.

"We’ve found a lot of forks from the dining facilities located here, along with some old soda bottles,”said Bowlin.

The project is one of many managed by training center engineers. “We’re always working to make the installation better for those training and working here,” said Bowlin

Fort Indiantown Gap is administered by members of the Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and is the busiest National Guard training center in the nation.

• Date Taken: 03.28.2017
• Date Posted: 03.28.2017 12:22
• Story ID: 228315
• Location: FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US