2017 Issue

34 Abstract The city of Helper, Utah was once known as an industri- al mining town and is now seeing a rebirth as an artistic haven. Until recently, the city had suffered from neglect to its utilities' infrastructure. But over the past several years, a city-wide utility improvement project has revitalized the community, especially along Main Street. The culinary water and sanitary sewer systems were replaced and a storm water drainage system was installed. Through the engineer- ing of these new utilities, the quality of life throughout the community has been improved. Due to the daunting size of the $29 million project, the city was divided into five areas, of which each had its own construction contract. Construc- tion lasted four years from 2013 to 2016. During that time, over 200,000 feet (or about 38 miles) of pipe was installed between the three utilities. Background Helper City, located in Carbon County, is situated at the mouth of Price Canyon, about 120 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and seven miles northwest of Price. Helper City was founded in 1881. It was named for the “helper” lo- comotives that were used to push the heavy coal trains traveling westward in Price Canyon over the steep moun- tain grades. Helper City is a typical small rural Utah town. The city has a total area of about 1.8 square miles, or 1,150 acres, and is responsible for providing public services to approximately 2,200 residents. The Rebirth of Helper Lauren C. Ploeger, P.E. Chad Brown, P.E. Charity L. Mair Overlook of Helper City The city’s infrastructure, which did not meet State of Utah rules and regulations, was old and deteriorating rapidly. The city’s Public Works Department spent much of their time and resources repairing these outdated facilities. Helper City did not have a storm drain system and flooding occurred regularly during large rainfall events. In response to growing concerns of Helper’s citizens and leaders for the future of Helper City’s infrastructure, the City Council undertook a massive utility improvement project. City-Wide Improvements Since 2011, Helper City with assistance from Franson Civil Engineers and five separate contractors replaced a major- ity of the city’s outdated culinary and sewer systems and installed a brand-new storm drain system. The nearly $11 million of culinary improvements consisted of replacing over 80,000 feet of 8-inch to 12-inch pipe; installing valves, hydrants, and service connections; and using trenchless methods to cross Highway 6 and the Price River. The $8 million sewer replacement consisted of nearly 55,000 feet of 8-inch to 12-inch pipe; over 20,000 feet of 4-inch and 6-inch laterals, hundreds of new manholes, the relocation of several sewer laterals, and boring underneath Union Pacific Railroad. The $10 million storm drain system included over 46,000 feet of 15-inch to 36-inch pipe, hundreds of man- holes and catch basins, several outfalls to the Price River, and thousands of feet of new curb and gutter throughout the city. Revitalized Main Street