Water Mains

Horizontal directional drilling is the less messy, more precise technique for the installation of utility water lines. As opposed to traditional trenching installations, water lines can be installed at various lengths and sizes while avoiding existing infrastructure.

The purpose of a utility water line is to move water from one location to another. Sometimes providing the means to move that water around is more difficult than it seems. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a trenchless technology used to install utility water lines and other underground pipes without the need for extensive excavation. This method involves drilling a pilot hole along the predetermined path, gradually enlarging it, and then pulling the utility line through the drilled borehole.

If someone needs water, they likely need it now. HDD often leads to faster project completion with fewer post-installation restoration needs. Even at a small-scale, residential application, HDD can maneuver beneath existing driveways and around subsurface utilities to precisely install the utility water line where it needs to be. On projects like this, it is not just the client’s home that is affected by these installations. The trajectory of the water line may travel beneath several neighboring properties, or city rights-of-way, where it is far less troublesome to take an HDD approach rather than trenching through.

A project of this scale would likely require a smaller-diameter pipe to be installed, which would tie into a larger utility water line network. However, HDD can be used for the installation of large diameter utility water lines as well, which may be responsible for providing clean water to an entire city. In this situation, the borehole is simply reamed to an appropriate diameter for the larger-size pipe to be safely installed.

HDD is particularly useful in situations where the line must be installed in environmentally sensitive areas, such as wetlands. It is nearly impossible to trench through environments like this, as contractors are forced to jump through logistical and permitting hoops. Rather than reorganizing the entire layout of the utility water system, HDD can install the conduit through these zones without any disturbance to surface-level features.

Horizontal directional drilling techniques are the preferred method for utility water line installations. In the long run, the HDD application is both time-efficient and cost-effective.