At the heart of this project was the replacement of a 50+ year-old sewer pipe located beneath the Fryingpan River, a designated and environmentally sensitive waterway requiring careful coordination and permitting through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

An infiltration and inflow study conducted between 2021 and 2023 identified this river crossing as a primary source of excess flow into the system. Due to the deterioration of the original gravity-fed pipe, river water was entering through compromised joints and voids, effectively sending clean river water through the wastewater treatment process. This unnecessary load reduced available treatment capacity and increased operational demands on the facility.

Roaring Fork Engineering worked closely with the Basalt Sanitation District and the Town of Basalt to plan and execute a highly coordinated replacement. Stutsman Gerbaz, a contractor with specialized river crossing experience, was selected, and the installation was designed to minimize environmental impact during construction, including reducing turbidity within the river.

To ensure long-term performance, the new pipeline was constructed with restrained joints, high-performance gaskets, and full concrete encasement. This design protects against future infiltration while safeguarding the pipe from debris flows, ice events, and other high-impact river conditions, delivering an expected service life of 100 years.