In a partnership dedicated to temporary cofferdam dewatering on a wide variety of jobsites, including construction, remediation, rehabilitation, flood protection and in-water inspection, Rain for Rent and Portadam™ have united industry-leading expertise and operational resources to deliver optimal performance and efficiency.
Since 1934, Rain for Rent has provided industry-leading liquid handling solutions that address the needs of a broad range of industries and applications. With over sixty-five locations in the United States and Canada to provide local support, Rain for Rent delivers proven results through Liquid Ingenuity™, an approach that puts expertise and innovation to work with technology, products and integrated services.
For the past thirty years, Portadam has provided solutions for any cofferdam and water storage need. The Portadam system creates temporary, portable cofferdams for use in construction and above-ground impoundments for natural gas fracking water storage and retention. Additional Portadam temporary cofferdam uses include property flood protection, flood barriers, and inspection projects in rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, and other retaining areas.
RFR-Portadam3
TOOLS TO GET THE JOB DONE
Both companies are known for providing the right equipment for client’s needs and including a full service approach to provide solutions. Rain for Rent addresses both planned and unplanned liquid handling challenges across multiple industries. Using Liquid IngenuityTM, the company puts their problem-solving expertise behind technology, services, and products—including pumps, tanks, filtration, pipe, and spillguards—that ensure safe, cost effective, and complete solutions.
Portadam is a versatile and portable temporary cofferdam, water diversion, or fluid retention system for use in open water up to 12 feet (3.66 meters) deep. With a freestanding structure that adapts to almost any environment, its non-invasive properties make it an environmentally attractive option that delivers dry conditions without the need for costly excavation, fill, or equipment.
REDUCING PUMPING COSTS
A pipeline contractor realized $500,000 savings in pumping costs when unstable river waters were efficiently contained and bypassed. A pipeline construction project replacing a deteriorating 42 inch (1.07 meters) pipeline more than 20 feet (6.1 meters) below the surface of a small river met with trouble as unstable shores prevented directional drilling. Rains also brought constantly changing river levels, jeopardizing the final phase of pipeline construction. A 10-foot (3.05 meters) temporary cofferdam was installed to give the pipeline construction company the additional bracing it needed to complete the drilling project.
“We were at a standstill and at risk of not being able to complete this pipeline project,” says the pipeline contractor. “The Rain for Rent/Portadam solution allowed for a timely project completion under extremely difficult site conditions.”
The cost savings were also seen in the timely completion of the project that had previous been placed in jeopardy due to the unforeseen stability issues drilling under the river. Rain for Rent engineered a gravity-fed flume bypass of the river as an alternate to an all-pump bypassing solution, reducing overall bypass costs for the pipeline construction company.
RFR-Portadam1
BRIDGE PILING WORK MADE EASY
A $51 million replacement of a major transportation artery in Virginia required a contractor to provide dewatering and river bypass work. The new bridge would be built in the same location. Demolition and reconstruction efforts would require dry ground to construct new pilings to support the expanded bridge.
Portadam and Rain for Rent were contracted to work together to provide a four-phase dewatering project, one for each of the center pilings across the quarter-mile wide river.
A 10-foot (3.05 meters) high diversion dam system was chosen along with extra bracing to support the weight of the variable flow rates of the large river. Depending on rain, flow rates could vary between 8000 CFS up to 62,000 CFS when not flooded. Once in place, portable 4- and 6-inch (10.16 and 15.24 centimeters) diesel pumps continuously dewatered the construction area, discharging into a weir tank for solids settling.
“The efforts and expertise of Portadam and Rain for Rent were an important factor in helping us complete this project in spite of challenging environmental conditions,” says the bridge construction Project Manager. The dewatering and diversion dam system helped keep the construction project on track, providing construction workers a safe and dry environment to do their work.
In addition to breadth of expertise and services, The Rain for Rent/Portadam union guarantees coast-to-coast coverage. The partners’ combined resources and rapid response times have come to the rescue repeatedly when deteriorating site conditions threaten the completion of a project.  ■
_________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Doris is the marketing manager for Rain for Rent and can be reached at 661.387.6248 or jdoris@rainforrent.com.
For more information on the combined liquid handling capabilities of Rain for Rent and Portadam, visit www.rainforrent.com or www.portadam.com.
_________________________________________________________________________
MODERN PUMPING TODAY, April 2013
Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to the FREE Digital Edition of Modern Pumping Today Magazine!
Subscribe