WorldWide Drilling Resource

A New Water Tunnel for New York City Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Since 1970, a practically invisible project has been underway below New York City. It is one of the most intricate engineering projects in the world and a milestone for the city’s water supply. For the first time in almost a century, New York City has activated a new water tunnel - City Water Tunnel No. 3 - which can provide water for all of Manhattan. It will also improve pressure to outlying areas. The new tunnel will not replace City Tunnels No. 1 and No. 2, but will allow them to be shut down for inspections and repairs for the first time in their oper- ational histories. Tunnel No. 1 has been Image courtesy of nyc.gov 18 APRIL 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Centerline Manufacturing Co. 903-725-6978 903-725-3647 fax ~ Mud pumps for the 21st century ~ www.centerlinemanufacturing.com ~ Centerline mud pumps are getting the job done from Canada to Australia, China to Peru ~ ©WorldWide Drilling Resource, Inc. 2006 Centerline Manufacturing is proud to be your complete stocking source for American Manufacturing mud pump parts!! U.S. Patent #6,769,884 and others pending Monopump models rated: 180 gpm Duplex models rated: 300 gpm Triplex models rated: 450 gpm 500 or 800 psi models available aluminum or iron. ~ The Centerline 7 1/2” x 10” hydraulic drive mono mud pump ~ ~ compact ~ fits on top or under deck ~ pumps the rated flow of a 5” x 6” @ over twice the rated pressure ~ weighs 650 lbs, 1615 lbs less! Tyson & Vern from Wyo-Ben, Inc. Karen, UCT exhibit & registration go-to girl! 2014 Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition Glenn & Larry for Baroid IDP. in service since 1917, and Tunnel No. 2 since 1936. Tunnel boring machine (TBM) tech- nology has greatly accelerated construc- tion of stages two, three, and four of Tunnel No. 3. A 70-foot-long TBM named “The Mole” was lowered in sections and assembled at the shaft’s bottom to drill through bedrock and form the tunnel. For generations, workers have blast- ed through New York’s underground to ensure the city’s water supply. Those cur- rently at work have had uncles, fathers, and even grandfathers who labored in one of the three water tunnels. A total of 24 men lost their lives doing so, but no deaths have occurred on the job since 1997. Depths of Tunnel No. 3 range from 400-800 feet, and the finished diame- ter of the tunnel will range from 10-24 feet. Enough rock was excavated dur- ing the first two stages of the tunnel to fill both the Empire State Building and Yankee Stadium. The new tunnel wi l l eventual ly stretch 60 miles and is set for comple- tion in 2021. Total project cost is estimated to be $5 billion.