drainage pipe. ADS civil engineer Tom Rueschhoff learned about

drainage pipe. ADS civil engineer Tom Rueschhoff
launched an intense lobbying and educational effort.
learned about the bill and fought to get it changed.
After becoming aware of the detrimental affects the
After hearing what Rueschhoff had uncovered,
legislation would have on the taxpayers, the senate
MDOT, ADS, and other HDPE pipe producers took the
transportation conference committee approved the bill
lead, testifying before a house subcommittee on the
with revised language that states: “If the department
Legal Matters
CONCRETE PIPE MANUFACTURERS PUSH FOR RESTRICTIVE
LEGISLATION IN MICHIGAN
When the marketplace chooses a new product or
effect of the proposed legislation. ADS demonstrat-
service, forcing another to lose, the manufacturer of
ed how passing such a bill could potentially cost the
that entrenched product or service resorts to tactics to
Michigan taxpayers$4 to $6 million a year as a
protect its investment. Such is the case with the con-
result of the lack of fair competition, and DOT engi-
crete pipe industry. It tried to slip wording through
neers would lose their right to specify requirements
the Michigan legislature that would have stopped the
for projects. In the past, lack of ASTM standards for
Michigan Department of Transportation from using
large diameter HDPE pipe never caused a problem
HDPE pipe.
because state DOTs approve the use of the pipe
Section 606 of Senate bill 372 required any manufactured pipe used should “meet the standards
established by the American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM),” and seemed harmless to most
Michigan senators. But the ASTM committee (F17)
through standards set by its own professional organization, the American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). This makes
perfect sense. The members are, after all, the ones
using pipe on a daily basis.
S TAT E C AP I T OL BU I L D I NG , L A N S I NG , M I CH I GA N
which develops standards for plastic pipe, is comprised
After a month of meetings with subcommittee mem-
uses manufactured pipe for road construction
primarily of manufacturers and users of competitive
bers, ADS was optimistic the bill would be voted
drainage, the department shall require that pipe used
pipe products. As a result, development of new stan-
down. Just before the full house voted on the
under certain load bearing conditions beneath the
dards for dual wall pipe have been thwarted. If Senate
revised bill, a state representative amended it to
roadway meet the standards established by the
bill 372 had become law, it would have prevented the
include the original language proposed by the con-
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or
Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) from
crete pipe industry. Having passed the house vote,
the American Association of State Highway and
using HDPE, a material that was already approved, and
the legislation moved onto the senate.
Transportation Officials (AASHTO).”
would have been forced to use concrete pipe, even in
If legislators had been properly informed that the
ADS, other HDPE manufacturers, and departments of
applications in which it determined HDPE pipe to be a
wording would create a monopoly for the concrete
transportation are investigating similar misleading
better alternative. Concrete pipe manufacturers would
pipe industry, they would likely not pass it. As a
tactics around the country that nearly gave the
have established exclusive ownership of highway
result, ADS, other HDPE manufacturers, and MDOT
concrete pipe industry a monopoly in Michigan.
successfully used, by DOT’s across the nation. MDOT
2
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
COLUMBUS, OHIO
PERMIT NO. 1213
ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS INC.
3300 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
COLUMBUS, OHIO 43221
800/821-6710
VISIT OUR WEB SITE: www.ads-pipe.com
T H E
M O S T
A D V A N C E D
N A M E
I N
D R A I N A G E
S Y S T E M S®
™
ADS is making it easy to learn how to install N-12®
drainage pipe. The first online interactive installation
training guide can be found at www.ads-pipe.com.
Color photos, animated graphics, video, and easy-toread tables and charts assist and enhance overall
comprehension.
Online Training Tool
The key to any successful drainage pipe system is successful
installation.This guide allows you to learn proper
installation techniques at any given time.
6
The online guide walks contractors, engineers,
installers, and inspectors through every phase from
pre-construction planning through post-construction
inspection. At the end of each chapter, the user has
the opportunity to test comprehension. If completely
successful, the individual receives a document
confirming completion of this training tool. For those
who do not have internet access, a CD-ROM version of
this training tool is available through any ADS sales
representative.
“The number one concern we hear is that plastic pipe
is installation-sensitive,” said Pat Collings, P.E., ADS
manager of applications engineering. “That just isn’t
true. The key to any successful drainage pipe system
is successful installation. This guide allows users to
receive proper installation training at any given time.”
Te c h l i n e
THE LATEST INFORMATION IN
ADVANCED DRAINAGE TECHNOLOGY
ADS News Volume VII, Issue One
Legal Matters
2
Proving Ground
3
Protecting the Environment 4
After the Storm
5
Branching Out
5
Online Training Tool
6
Heavy Weight
ADS PIPE CHOSEN FOR NEW DE-ICING PADS IN ATLANTA
It’s the perfect solution to the problem of
what to do with storm water and de-icing
runoff at Hartsfield Atlanta International
Airport: ADS N-12 ProLink WT® high
density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe. The pipe
is buried underground and will be used as a
containment system for all runoff from the
airport’s first de-icing facility. It was chosen
for its ability to handle chemicals and the
weight of a jumbo jet at a 25-foot burial
depth. The inert properties of HDPE pipe
allow it to handle strong solutions ranging
in pH from 1.5 to 14. The de-icing solution
primarily consists of ethylene glycol that will
flow in to one of the four separate glycol
retention/detention systems.
handle a Boeing 747 jumbo jet 25 feet
above ground, which weighs nearly 400,000
pounds. Each system, built by SDL
Environmental of Sharpsburg, Georgia and
Atlanta-based Aviation Constructors, will be
used to capture de-icing fluid and storm
water runoff. The systems are a threepronged layout of 48-inch diameter pipe
sealed on one end. That watertight fluid
holding pen slowly disperses the run-off
into the 15-inch diameter ADS N-12 pipe
attached to the open end of the rows, sending it to a sewer and drainage system.
“N-12 WT pipe performs to the ASTM laboratory watertight standard of D 3212 at
10.8 psi and has its own integrated bell and
As for its strength, each system, interacting spigot ends,” says Tony Radoszewski, direcwith the soil compacted around it, will tor of marketing for ADS. “As such, joining
Typical Pipe Performance
(LB/SQ FT)
12000
95% SOIL DENSITY
90%
100
85%
90
10000
80
70
8000
60
80%
50
6000
40
75%
4000
30
20
2000
INITIAL EFFECT OF
RING STIFFNESS
0
0
5
10
RING DEPLETION Y/D (%) =
Source: Utah State University
15
75% SOIL DENSITY PLOT
OF VERTICAL SOIL STRAIN
20
« EXCEPT WHERE NOTED
10
«
0
25
I N S TA L L ATIO N OF 48 -IN CH DIAMETER
HDPE PIPE AT HARTSFIELD AT L A N TA
I N T E R N ATIONAL AIRP ORT
the sections does not require a separate
coupler for a watertight connection. The integrated design also makes it easy for the crew
to slip together the pipe sections.”
The pipe’s strength allows it to be buried
25 feet below the de-icing pad, covered with
No. 57 stone, then 3,000-4,000 pounds of dirt.
At that burial depth, with proper
compaction, it effectively handles the weight
of the aircraft above it.
Proven to be the right pipe for the job, it’s also
the right price. SDL Environmental President
Thomas Boynton estimates that by using ADS
pipe instead of ductile iron or reinforced concrete, the cost of the facility was cut by a third
to a half. He also estimates that his crew saved
at least a week of work. It took three weeks to
complete the de-icing pad with HDPE pipe and
it would have taken four to five weeks to install
ductile iron or concrete, according to
Boynton. “ADS N-12 pipe is lighter than
ductile iron or concrete and easy to assemble.
With it, we can build the retention system and
begin covering it with backfill in one day,” said
Boynton.
Te c h l i n e
Proving Ground
N-12® PIPE IN WISCONSIN IS STRONG AND STEADY
AFTER 11 YEARS UNDERGROUND
The Wisconsin Department
of Transportation conducted
a video inspection and found
the pipe and its joints to be in
great shape, with no defects.
After spending 11 years under heavy traffic, ADS N-12®
HDPE pipe in Door County, Wisconsin has greatly exceeded
expectations. The installation was a test run when the product was first on the market. N-12 pipe had never before
been used in this type of application, but the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation had enough confidence in the
product to try it. With 40% more traffic than expected using
the road on a daily basis, the pipe is performing ideally.
More than 1,600 feet of N-12 pipe was installed in 1988 as
a storm sewer in Fish Creek under State Highway 42. It
performed so well, the DOT forgot it was there. It has since
found out N-12 pipe was a sound decision. Last year, the
Wisconsin Department of Transportation conducted a video
inspection and found the pipe and its joints to be in great
shape, with no defects. That is a true testament to the
strength and durability of the pipe, buried a foot below the
surface of the road with an average of 6,300 vehicles using
that route last year alone. The current state maximum for
HDPE pipe at that burial depth is 4,500 vehicles per day.
“We knew we would only be able to bury the pipe a foot
under the road and the N-12 pipe was the strongest choice
3
for that application,” says Mike Leitzke, Wisconsin DOT
project manager. “For other materials, we would need at
least a foot and a half. We chose to use N-12 pipe mainly
because of its strength, but also because it’s flexible and
lightweight. The pipe had to come down the bluff and go
under the road and we knew concrete would crack. The
N-12 pipe was flexible enough to hug the land and bend
where we needed it to bend. Plus, the project was in a sensitive area and we didn’t want to have to use cranes or backhoes that are needed for concrete pipe. Two or three guys
could easily move the lengths of N-12 pipe around without
disturbing the bluff.”
Because the pipe is strong and installed properly, at its minimum burial depth it can handle the load of the extra traffic
above it and additional force from the rolling motion of the
vehicle. The durability of N-12 pipe is also apparent in this
case. Abrasive materials are passing through the pipe without any damage to it. This helps prove the point made in test
after test that it takes longer for abrasive material to erode
HDPE pipe than concrete pipe.
“The key characteristic of Door County is that the people
there are very concerned about the land and are vocal about
it, “ says Leitzke. “It’s hard to remember to go back and
check every project, but if it had been breaking down even
the slightest bit, we would’ve heard about it. That’s why it
was no surprise to hear the inspection found the pipe to be
in perfect condition.”
N-12 pipe was introduced on the market only a year before
it was put in the ground under Wisconsin State Highway 42.
The Wisconsin DOT was willing to try a better alternative to
traditional materials. Its confidence in N-12 pipe paid off.
The pipe is proving it can stand the test of time.
PROTECTING
THE ENVIRONMENT
N-12® PIPE KEEPS FARMS IN LINE WITH EPA REGULATIONS
Several years ago, no one thought much
about animal waste. But with the size of
animal feed operations (AFOs) growing into
thousands of animals, concerns about
pollution in the groundwater and the nation’s
streams have come from the agricultural
c o m m u n i t y, t h e pu bl ic , a n d t he
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Under the Clean Water Act, the agricultural
community is doing all it can to protect the
environment and public health by developing
Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans.
One way the agricultural community is
addressing the situation is with waste lagoons
and directing clean water away from the
sites. In an effort to protect the environment
from the hazards of animal waste, AFOs
around the country are beginning to use ADS
corrugated high density polyethylene (HDPE)
pipe for this type of waste management. The
long-lasting, watertight pipe transfers
manure underground from barns to lagoons,
keeping groundwater clean. It’s a better
system for handling animal waste than a
manure pile because the pipe’s inherent
physical properties of chemical inertness and
watertightness protect public health and
keep odor to a minimum.
Because of the stiffer regulations called for by
the Clean Water Act and the potential threat
of animal waste to surface and ground water
quality, civil engineers are becoming more
involved with the design of animal waste
lagoons. The systems they develop have soils
and embankments that are highly compacted
so as to limit the seepage of any animal waste
into the water table. Because they go to such
great lengths to make sure there is no seepage
out of the lagoon, it only makes sense that the
pipe they choose to transfer the waste to the
lagoon would be leak-free.
In a town near Green Bay, Wisconsin, farmer
Carl Theunis has 1,800 cows. He buried
2,400 feet of 18-inch, 24-inch, and 30-inch
diameter ADS N-12 ProLink WT® HDPE pipe
to construct a manure gravity flow system and
a storm sewer system. His animal feed operation utilizes two 8,000,000-gallon capacity
lagoons. The storm sewer system diverts
clean rainwater away from the site. Besides
being easier to handle, Theunis has found that
the lagoons allow a natural “cap” to form on
the waste which significantly reduces odor.
Corrosion Resistance of Pipe Types
1.5
5
5
5.5
Lowest pH
Lowest pH
Lowest pH
Highest pH
14
HDPE
4
Lowest pH
Highest pH
Highest pH
Highest pH
10
12
9
GALVANIZED STEEL
CONCRETE
ALUMINIZED
SOURCES: ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, AMERICAN CONCRETE PIPE ASSOCIATION,
NATIONAL CORRUGATED STEEL PIPE ASSOCIATION
“Using watertight pipe to transfer the manure
addresses the pollution aspect very well,” says
Theunis. “And since ADS pipe doesn’t corrode, we
won’t have to come back in a few years and dig it up.”
ADS Agricultural Market Manager Kevin Rapp
explains N-12 pipe was chosen for the project for
a number of reasons. “HDPE pipe is chemically
inert, making it an ideal choice for manure
handling systems. The acidic nature of manure
slurries will not affect our N-12 pipe.”
Traditional drainage pipe materials like concrete
and steel have varying levels of resistance to chemicals. Acidic chemicals and saline conditions can
deteriorate concrete, steel, and aluminum.
Animal waste lagoons are just as helpful to those
running small farms. USDA data shows that out of
nearly a half-million agricultural operations
nationwide, about 85% of them have fewer than
250 animals. Tim Doyle has a 100-acre, 160-head
dairy farm in Vermont. Five years ago, Doyle built
a lagoon 100 feet from his barn and used 30-inch
ADS N-12 pipe to move the manure into it.
Up to 48 inches in diameter, ADS N-12 ProLink WT
pipe is watertight. That means the joints have
undergone the ASTM (American Society for
Testing and Materials) D 3212 lab test which
misaligns and deflects the joint while maintaining
an internal water pressure of 10.8 psi for ten
minutes. Integrity comes from not only the
strength of the joints, but also from the fewer
amount of joints needed in an HDPE pipe system.
The pipe comes in lengths of 20 feet, requiring
fewer joints than other types of pipe.
“Without this pipe’s size and smooth inner walls,
we would be constantly reaming out the pipe to
move the bulky material,” Doyle says. “And since
the National Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) helped fund the project, it was very
particular and had an inspector on-site to make
sure the system would not leak. The ADS pipe
provided the required watertight seal.”
AFTER THE STORM
Hurricane Floyd ripped through North
Carolina last fall, ravaging areas like Wilson
County. To help residents get their lives
Branching Out
ADS GOES INTERNATIONAL
back, ADS donated nearly 4,000 feet of
N-12® high density polyethylene drainage
pipe to repair roads severely damaged by
With the growing acceptance and use of N-12® pipe increasing dramatically, ADS is growing, too. A pipe plant
the class four hurricane.
in El Salvador is the new home of the first ADS international manufacturing facility. ADS CENTROAMERICA
About half of the pipe was used to fix roads
in the devastated Wilson County area.
Because HDPE pipe is easy to handle, bury,
began producing pipe this spring in San Salvador and will primarily serve Central America and Southern Mexico.
For years, ADS has sold pipe to El Salvador, Mexico, and other countries in Central America for storm sewer,
sanitary sewer, highway drainage, and other subsurface drainage applications.
and align, crews were able to repair the
“A solidly built infrastructure is critical to the overall economic development of these Central American regions,”
roads faster than if they had used other
says Joe Chlapaty, ADS president and chief operating officer. “We’re excited to take the lead in providing the
materials to do the job.
resources the region needs.”
“A significant number of state highway and
Chlapaty adds that developing countries look to the U.S. for innovative products. N-12 pipe has proven to be
secondary roads had been lost,” says Joe
a strong, reliable product in all areas of storm water management.
Chlapaty, ADS president and chief operating
officer. “Our pipe contribution, shipped
from our plant near Charlotte, was just a
jumpstart for a lot of work done.”
Pipe used in the rebuilding project ranges
from 18 inches to 36 inches in diameter.
“We’re excited to take the
lead in providing the
resources the region needs.”
In addition, the development of a country’s economy is directly tied to the development of a sound infrastruc-
★
ture. Just by the very nature of the product and the ease with which it can be installed, N-12 pipe plays an
integral role in ensuring a successful infrastructure.
ADS OPENS UP NEW OPERATION IN SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR
“American engineers know drainage is extremely important in the building of roads,” says John Adams, international sales manager for ADS. “In the past, they used to compact the soil under roads. They have since
found well-engineered drainage systems significantly extend the life of the road.”
All employees at the new facility, including the management staff, are local residents.
“The Central American plant complements our 22 existing plants in the Untied States,” says Chlapaty. “If the
circumstances in other international locations are right, ADS would be inclined to invest in other joint ventures.”
5