Procedures required for laying hot water pipes across a river
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We are laying hot water pipes across the river, with the pipes running beneath the green belts on both sides of the river as well as an avenue along the riverbank. After communicating with the river management authorities, the upstream reservoir stopped releasing water. Once the water level in the river dropped, trenches were dug within the river, while pipe jacking was carried out under the roads along the riverbank, and trenches were also dug in the green belts. At that time, the law enforcement agency issued a notice to stop work, citing the digging of ditches in the riverbed and the damage to the green belts. We had filed the necessary reports with the river management authorities before starting the construction, but they said that the green belts fall under the jurisdiction of the landscaping department, while ditch digging is the responsibility of the construction department. It’s all because we don’t often interact with these departments or are not very familiar with the relevant laws; we never expected that a pipe that isn’t subject to supervision would require so many procedures.
Your project involves the use of jacking methods for construction under municipal roads, as well as the occupation of urban green spaces. Before commencing work, it is necessary to obtain approval from the **traffic management authorities and the landscaping authorities; the land must be occupied at the approved time and location, and it must be restored to its original state once the construction is complete.
To date, the cross-river hot water pipeline project is nearly complete, but the necessary procedures have not yet been finalized. The main reason for this is that there are two opposing opinions among the local leaders: some agree while others disagree. Those who disagree argue that the hot water pipeline crossing the river undermines the interests of the thermal power plant and violates the original commitments, whereas those who agree do so due to the company’s influence in the area. As a result, the law enforcement authorities have no choice but to play the nice guy – they neither approve the necessary procedures nor interfere with the construction work; it’s interesting.
The project can be completed tonight, but due to time constraints and various unfavorable factors, there are many deficiencies. 1. The foundation ditch does not meet the design requirements, as the water in the river cannot be completely drained (if the water in the river is emptied, the wells of other companies located near the river will run dry; the river management authorities will need to weigh this factor in their decisions), and the dimensions of the foundation ditch are not as specified ； 2. Due to time constraints in procurement, ordinary stamped elbows were used in place of 3D fabricated elbows ； 3. The weld seam inspection failed, but no rework was carried out, nor was a hydrostatic test performed ； 4. Improper treatment of the outer tube at the weld joint, resulting in air leakage during the airtightness test ； 5. The depth of the pipeline below the riverbed is too shallow, and the soil backfilling as well as the sand and gravel used for the covering layer do not meet the requirements. However, no matter how many defects there are, there’s no chance to make any changes, as water has already been released from the upstream reservoir; it will arrive in a few hours, so hurry and retrieve the tools. Although supervision and inspection are not accepted, it poses a significant risk.