Category Archives: engineering

84″ Conduit Inspection

08 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, engineering, water history

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Back in 1956 – 1957 a new 84″ pipeline was laid to connect the Montebello Filters with South East Baltimore, doing away with a pumping station. It was inspected this week using what is called a Pipe Diver. A mini-sub looking thing with a bunch of probes. No camera unfortunately.

Here is the pipe prior to connection to the filtered water reservoir in 1957. The reservoir (20 million gallons) is behind that house on the left, underground.

Connection to the clear-well chamber. Years later another connection would be made on the opposite side of the reservoir. The two conduits are connected about 100 yards from the above point.

Back in June, while making my rounds thru the property, I saw a contractor digging a hole. Asked what he was doing and he said he needed to rebuild this manhole and put a new valve on the pipe. That they were getting ready to inspect the 84″ pipe. I asked if he knew that this pipe was full of water. He said he knew and it would be alright. Here is another case in the City when agencies do not communicate. We had no idea they were doing a pipe inspection.

A month later, a contractor comes on site to look at a possible entry point for their pipe diver. I showed them and in November they came back.

They could not relieve the pressure in the pipe enough to insert their tool. So they had to postpone and rethink their strategy.

This week they came back. It took a lot longer to relieve the pressure than what they thought. This is the net that was inserted downstream, about 3 miles. It was there to catch the pipe diver.

Installing the net.

This is the equipment that was used to track their diver. It only took about 3-1/2 hours for the machine to flow by water pressure to the net.

Removing the pipe diver tool. hopefully the information obtained is all good info – that the pipe doesn’t need repairs or in worse case, replacing.

One disturbing photo sent to me is this one, showing where ground cover has washed away, exposing the water pipe. I’ve lived around this stream for many years and I know the force of nature, during storms. Just a matter of time…

Roland Water Tower

24 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, engineering, HISTORY, water history

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Received an email – you know the kind – a city resident has a complaint, goes to their City Council Person, goes to the Director of Public Works, goes to my boss – who sends it to me to investigate: The area around the Roland Water Tower is the site of 24/7 drug dealing activity. Shouldn’t this complaint have gone to the police? Being the good employee that I am, I went to investigate. For a 24/7 drug spot, the grounds looked clean and I saw only 2 people, walking their dogs. My mission was to see if there was any available electricity for new lighting? There are already 5 street lights surrounding the property. I could not get inside the tower itself to see if there was electric. I doubt it.

Time for a history lesson: The Tower was built, according to the bronze tablets, between 1904 and 1905. According to my records the contract was awarded to two contractors – one for the steel tower and one for the brick enclosure. Then later, another contractor for the concrete pool and steps.

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The steel stand pipe being built by Tippett and Wood.

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The brick enclosure by John Stack. The steps and pool by the Andrew Co.

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The finished tower.

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As it looked this morning. There is a fence around it, which I was able to go through.

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Pieces of the tower are falling down. This is the purpose of the fence – to keep people out and to keep people away from the falling pieces.

The tower held about 213,000 gallons of water that it received from Druid Lake. The design was by William Fizone, who also designed the Montebello Filters. The pool has been filled in. In 1939 the Water Board turned the property over to the City Comptroller. In 2009 and again in 2011 consultants were hired to figure out what to do with this abandoned tower. It had a couple times been turned over to the Roland Park Community Association, who tried to raise funds to restore it. And it still sits – a magnet for the druggies and dog walkers.

Conowingo During Agnes 1972

21 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by in 1972, Dams, engineering, Floods

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Came across this Sun Paper photograph showing, what it says on the back, that all 53 gates of the dam were opened during the storm. It doesn’t look like all 53 are opened. In a 2008 interview, a former Conowingo Employee, Elder Silvercloud tells us that many of the flood gates wouldn’t open. They were stuck. Another article I read said they were going to dynamite a portion of the dam to relieve pressure? In 2011 another storm caused them to open 43 gates. For more info, Google Search Conowingo Dam Agnes.

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Notice there are no watermarks saying ebay or sun paper – that is because I do not steal these photos off the internet. They are in my personal collection.

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Almost Done

19 Wednesday Oct 2016

Posted by in engineering, filtration, water history

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Construction Management sent me this photo and asked if I know what lake this is! If you ever need a pond or lake dredged, these guys do it right. And ahead of schedule.

That cove on the right hasn’t been cleared in about 40 years! I need to bring my kayak to work! For inspection purposes of course!

Fullerton from the Susquehanna

12 Wednesday Oct 2016

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In my previous post I talked about the Fullerton Filtration Plant and the problems with it becoming a reality. Below are some photographs from the pre-planning stages of the Fullerton Plant. 1964 – when engineers were still able to look ahead and plan for the future.

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Contractors moving the Fullerton connection into place.

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Connecting the ‘Y’ branch to the Susquehanna pipe line. The Susquehanna pipe line was known as the “Big Inch” being 108 inches in diameter. This connection dropped it down to 96 inches. The metal mesh is for pouring concrete around the pipe line to hold it in place.

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Capping off the end for future contractors to be able to connect the Fullerton Plant, if and when…

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Just up the road is the Big Gunpowder Falls (Loch Raven and Prettyboy dams are on this river, way upstream). The Big Inch went under the Falls at this point. To the left is Interstate 95, back then known as the North-East Expressway.

Conowingo Dam

04 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, Dams, engineering, Photography

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My visit into the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant. Built in about two years time with close to 4,500 men. 1926-1928. Built by the Arundel Corporation. It generates over 13, 000 volts and then steps it up to 220,000. We were not allowed to take photos in the control room but one thing interesting about that was a board that gives real time prices for electricity. The other thing in the control room was – I was asked, very sternly, Do Not Go Back There Or Touch Anything!! Sheesh!

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Got there early and looked around. Carved eagle in front. They have a photo contest every year for eagle photos. I didn’t bring a telephoto lens.

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Fishermen. How the heck do they not get their lines tangled?? Three turbines on. Roughest water up to the right was a large unit. Two smaller units are on, to the left of guys fishing.

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Time to go in and start the tour. Our tour guide is wearing the black hat. A continuous run movie on the building of the dam is playing. There is a nice one on Youtube called Conowingo: Then and Now.

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The real tour guide. The photos on the wall are all winners and submissions for the eagle photo contest last year.

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One of two fish lifts. This one was used to collect fish and then transport them by truck to hatcheries and fish farms to be released above all the dams (There are a few and about five years ago they all installed real fish lifts so the shad can just go up river to where they are supposed to)

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I believe our tour guide said these two generated power to run the plant. It was loud in there.

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Where they make electricity. Yellow light on the right wall means – put in your earplugs.

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Aerator. It sucks air into the water. The dissolved oxygen drops about 60% from the dam pool to the discharge side, so they add some air to the water.

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This little probe, just barely touching the turbine shaft measures for any distortion in the shaft. If it senses some, it will shut down the unit.

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Some old gauges.

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Spiders! They just cleaned these windows a couple months ago.

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Next level above the turbines – generators.

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Outside above the catwalk. Years ago, pre 9/11 you were allowed to fish off the catwalk. This is looking down towards Port Deposit.

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The tour group. I didn’t know a single one of these people.

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Need some lights changed on this sign.

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Lonely lamp right before the second fish lift. Do fish need to see to be lifted?

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In the very early 1960s I use to fish on that little rise at the bottom of the dam.

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Second fish lift. They swim into that lift and are free to swim out at the top. Supposedly there is someone who looks thru a plexiglass window and counts them? Since the other dams have installed lifts, no reason to truck them anywhere.

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Starting to get dark out.

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Back inside, on the way to the control room. Pit.

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Dark outside now, after control room. Guys are still fishing!