Western Water recently performed demolition of the existing digester covers as part of the Manteca Wastewater Quality Control Facility Digester Improvements Project. These domed concrete covers weighed in at about 260,000 pounds each. A subcontractor was originally going to perform this demolition but they backed out due to the unique and potentially dangerous nature of the work.
Led by vice president Luke McGarva and superintendents Rick Cox and Danny Cornilsen, a plan was devised to install shoring beneath the covers and sawcut them into quadrants. A structural engineer was employed to design the shoring and rigging methods. Using a 350 ton truck crane, each of the 65,000 pound quadrants was safely rigged, picked and staged on the ground for demolition and disposal.
Careful planning and highly skilled tradesman made this difficult and complex work come off safely and without a hitch!