Case Study

CIPP Lining and Structural Pipe Repair in Sebring, FL

Sebring, Fla.

Commercial

Pipe Failure

A commercial property owner partnered with AQUALIS to rehabilitate three connected stormwater pipe runs using cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining. During a routine inspection by a professional engineer, an underground CCTV review revealed two collapsed pipe sections that were not visible from the surface.

AQUALIS handled the project from beginning to end, providing frequent updates to the property manager. Using non-invasive methods when available and excavation when required, AQUALIS coordinated the project around the site’s daily operations to reduce interruptions.

The Problem

The three pipe runs underneath the property had reached the point where rehabilitation made more sense than continued repair. With a roadway and parking area sitting directly above the pipes, AQUALIS experts chose cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining to restore the infrastructure. The liner installs a new structural surface inside the existing pipe, restoring the system from within and leaving the rest of the site untouched.

CIPP requires a structurally suitable host pipe, so each run was inspected using closed-circuit television (CCTV) to identify significant separations or failures before lining began. That inspection identified two sections that had failed beyond the point where CIPP would be feasible. A section of one pipe had a hole 8 inches wide. An adjacent line had sagged into a deep low spot and failed completely, with standing water blocking any further visibility into the damage.

Neither collapse had broken through to the surface yet, but both were at risk of progressing into sinkholes as soil washed into the failed pipes below and destabilized the ground above.

The collapsed sections sat over a high water table, and the property is an active commercial site with daily traffic across the work area. Both conditions shaped how the repair had to be sequenced.

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Area Excavated for Partial Pipe Segment Removal

Vac Combo Truck in preparation of lining being installed

Liner being stretched and placed through good portions of pipes and connecting structures

CIPP Lining being pressurized steam cured into place with powerful steam equipment

Cured in place liner matted to existing good pipe sections & structures

Lining cured in place showing full connection within structure

End point of liner sticking out of structure

Expansive, Structural Grout Injected around Three Pipe Runs and Filling Voids

Well Point Removed and Excavated Ar ea Backfilled

Backfilled Area Compacted and prepped for Asphalt

All Disturbed Areas Graded Out and Hand Raked

Sequencing the Work

The project broke into two distinct types of work: trenchless rehabilitation on the sections of pipe that could still be lined, and open excavation on the two sections that required replacement. Trenchless work moves faster and leaves the surface intact, so those sections were completed first as weather conditions allowed. The excavation work required removing all water from inside the pipe and blocking the flow upstream, as well as creating a large access area at the surface. The excavation work was more disruptive, so it was scheduled to keep the roadway and entrance open whenever possible and allow the property to remain operational throughout the project.

The roadway and entrance were closed in coordinated phases to allow the business to remain operational. Best management practices, barricades, and signage were set up across the work zone, and the layout was adjusted as the work moved from one area to the next.

Trenchless Rehabilitation of the Intact Runs

A jet/vacuum combination truck cleaned the three sections of pipeline to clear debris and sediment that had accumulated inside, preparing the existing pipe walls for the new liner.

Before lining, expansive structural grout was injected around the pipes and surrounding structures to help stabilize the soil. Decades of water movement can leave voids in the soil around buried pipes, and a liner installed within a pipe surrounded by unstable ground may be affected by further soil movement. Stabilizing the surrounding soil before lining helped support the existing pipes and reduce the risk of future movement.

Three CIPP sections were then installed and cured in place using pressurized steam. Once cured, post-work CCTV verified the installation across all three runs.

Replacing the Collapsed Sections

The collapsed pipe sections could not be lined and had to be removed. The work area sat below the water table, so groundwater levels had to be lowered before excavation could begin. A wellpoint dewatering system was installed around the work area to lower the groundwater, and it ran continuously throughout the structural repair. The system was monitored daily because an extended pause could have allowed groundwater to return to the excavation.

Once the area was dry, the asphalt over the failed sections was sawcut and removed in two 15-foot-wide paths spanning the roadway and parking area. Crews excavated to sand bottom, removed two 20-foot sections of collapsed pipe, and installed the replacements.

Restoration and Results

With the new pipe in place, the excavated areas were backfilled in lifts and compacted. The wellpoint system was removed once the ground was stable enough without it. The disturbed areas were graded and hand-raked, and approximately 800 square feet of sod was installed to restore the landscaped areas around the work zone. Final asphalt restoration was completed by the property’s asphalt vendor over the compacted base, and the temporary closures were lifted as each area was returned to service.

The project rehabilitated three pipe sections with structural CIPP lining and replaced two sections of collapsed pipe that showed no visible signs of failure at the surface. By coordinating all repairs with AQUALIS, the property avoided multiple mobilizations, redundant closures, and fragmented documentation.