Halton Region, Ontario — Snap-Tite replaces failed corrigated steel pipe

New Pipe Technology Helps Fish and Aquatic Life Swim Upstream

The Problem
In the Canadian town of Milton, Ontario in Halton Region, an existing corrugated steel pipe (CSP) culvert was damaged. The CSP was located underneath Steeles Avenue and adjacent to railway tracks, approximately four meters deep. Steeles Avenue was starting to collapse at the shoulder where the 1,070 mm CSP separated and failed. As a result, a small sink hole opened up and grew larger due to the failure. As CSP pipes age they become weaker and eventually lose their shape, especially as the backfill is undermined. In addition, CSP pipes put in the ground are joined by external bands. Generally the gauge or thickness of the material can be as much as half the thickness of the pipe itself, resulting in the joint being the weakest part, causing it to fail first. The CSP had to be quickly repaired. There were two objectives to repairing the failing pipe. First, as the culvert was used by various fish species as a passageway in the stream, a repaired pipe had to slow down the water’s velocity through the pipe to ensure that the fish could still easily pass through. Second, during a storm event, the water needed to move efficiently through the repaired culvert to prevent flooding.
The Solution
Snap-Tite representative Brian Zagrodny and Snap-Tite distributor Andrew Bird of ST Pipe Sales Ltd. worked with Provincial Underground Services Ltd. to pinpoint the best pipe repair solution to address the unique fish passage and flow requirements. After a site visit and meeting with Halton Region and the Halton Region Conservation Authority, it was determined that using a 750 mm diameter interior open profile (IOP) highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) pipe in five meter lengths was the best choice to line the old culvert.

Read more