Mountain Home Air Force Base Sustainable Water Supply Project Begins Construction

Construction has started on the Mountain Home Air Force Base (MHAFB) Water Resilience Project, with a goal of completing the pipeline portion of the work by the end of October. As of August 1st, the team has already welded 10 miles of the 15-mile pipeline. IMCO’s skilled pipe crew has been welding as much as a half mile of 20-inch pipe per day.

Subcontractor Hodge Western is using two large rock trenchers to cut 42 to 48-inch-wide trenches that allow the pipe crew to install the pipe at a faster pace. Sawtooth Directional Drilling is performing five directional drills roughly ten feet deep below the roadways, ranging from 80 to 300 feet long, mostly through solid rock.

Project Manager Nick Miller said, “The team is having fun optimizing this unfamiliar site and activities. I appreciate that the crews are tackling every task better than the previous day, with great attitudes.”

The completed pipeline will convey water from the Snake River to a new water treatment plant (WTP) at the MHAFB. The 8,600 residents at the base rely on groundwater wells for water supply. The aquifers that currently supply the base’s drinking water have been declining at a rate that is not sustainable. The importance of the MHAFB to the Idaho economy led the Idaho Water Resource Board to evaluate and create a plan that focuses on using the Snake River as the new source of water supply.
In October, IMCO crews will be allowed to start work within the Snake River canyon. They will construct a new intake in the Snake River with three vertical turbine pumps to convey 3.64 million gallons per day through the pipeline. The system will include supervisory control and data acquisition for integration with the new WTP building, surge protection, backup generation, a cleaning system for the intake screens, cathodic protection for any steel pipe, drains, air release considerations, and security systems to meet Air Force requirements.

The project team will continue to grow as work increases throughout the summer. Many existing IMCO Treasure Valley skilled craft have joined the Mountain Home team along with new talent. The next milestone includes the construction of the intake, pump station, and steel pipeline located at CJ Strike Reservoir.

Congratulations to this team for getting this project off to a great start!

To view the article featured in the DIRT click here.