Penetron Keeps Water Flowing for Ohio’s Capital City

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May 17, 2013

When Ohio’s capital city, Columbus, took a look at its drinking water infrastructure, it discovered a serious shortfall in the water supply system. Engineers in charge of the capacity upgrade project integrated PENETRON waterproofing technology to ensure the success of a key reservoir.

The “Water Beyond 2000” study conducted by the Columbus Department of Public Utilities analyzed the available water supply for the Ohio state capital. They discovered an urgent situation: future water needs exceeded the available supply by nearly 52 million gallons of treated water each day.

The solution submitted by the design team to meet this shortfall included the construction of three upground reservoirs. The City of Columbus agreed, and construction of the largest reservoir upstream of the existing treatment plants was carried out by Beaver Excavating. This reservoir now supplies at least 29 million gallons per day (MGD) for the future needs of the region.

Innovative Water Flow Control

The upground reservoir facility is a nine billion gallon reservoir built on 843 acres of retired farm land that also allows storage of untreated water for future use. An adjacent pump station uses an inflatable weir across the Scioto River to pump water to the upground reservoir during high flow periods. During low flow periods or during times of high demand for water, the reservoir can return the water back to the river. The increased river flow allows the downstream water treatment plants to meet water demands for many years to come.
PRAH to Increase Concrete Durability
As defined by the ACI in their “Report on Chemical Admixtures for Concrete” (No. 212.3R-10), PENETRON ADMIX is a permeability-reducing admixture for hydrostatic conditions (or PRAH) that was chosen to provide waterproofing and long term durability for this project’s critical concrete structures.
Christopher Chen, Director of The PENETRON Group adds, “Both the water intake and outlet structures of the Delaware Upground Reservoir were treated with our crystalline waterproofing solution.”

Sealing the natural pores and capillaries of the concrete on the outlet structure made it impervious to any water penetration. This is especially critical because the structure houses the water control gates and holds back nine billion gallons of stored water.

“In addition to the extreme hydrostatic pressures the structure will be exposed to, the reservoir is now protected from chemical attack, freeze/thaw damage and corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel – thanks to PENETRON ADMIX,” notes Chen.

The PENETRON Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives and distribution channels.

For more information on PENETRON waterproofing solutions, please visit http://www.penetron.com, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.

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