After 50+ years of serving visitors in Glacier National Park, the water and sewer system at Avalanche Campground reached the end of its useful life. Leaky pipes stemming from the system were draining 3,000-7,000 gallons of chlorinated water into the ground under campsites each day. Limiting the inherent environmental damage to the campsites caused by the inefficient pipes was of utmost importance to the Park Service.

DJ&A was tasked with rehabilitating the water and sewer systems at Avalanche and rehabilitating the sewer system at the nearby Swiftcurrent area serving the Many Glacier campground.

During an initial site investigation, it was discovered that the siphon in the dosing tank was essentially inoperable. Much of the siphon was encased in the concrete floor of the dosing tank and it would have been costly to replace. DJ&A employed a newer technology called a Flout System, an ingenious, yet inexpensive product, with only a few moving parts, that empties the dosing tank when a certain water level is reached. The maintenance-free Flout System fit the inside dimensions of the existing tank allowing a full replacement of the tank to be avoided. This essentially allowed the tank to be recovered, which was both sustainable and exceptionally cost effective.

Key Services

• Completed field investigation to determine the condition and functionality of the existing systems
• Performed site survey (including GPS, Total Station, and LiDAR terrestrial scanner) and comprehensive mapping of site
• Designed water system that could be gravity drained each fall in response to local climatic conditions and staffing
• Coordinated with MT DEQ to obtain a permit for the site
• Delivered a complete set of drawings, specifications, and a Class A cost estimate

Value Added

The design team chose to utilize ‘pipe bursting’ rather than traditional open-trench replacement of the sewer mains. The sustainable pipe bursting solution meant that trenching was avoided thus saving existing asphalt, eliminated the need to haul in new pipe bedding material, saved existing trees in the area, minimized impacts to adjacent cultural and natural resources, and protected existing manholes.