The Weirton Area Water Board (WAWB) serves about 9,500 customers in and around Weirton. Its water treatment plant and distribution system have been in use for over 60 years. Aging infrastructure caused major service issues. The 18” steel pipes, buried up to 12 feet deep, made repairs very difficult. After repeated outages, the WAWB found the line was no longer usable.

Thrasher developed a creative fix. Instead of digging up the entire line, they inserted a new pipe inside the old one. They slip-lined 17,000 feet of 14” PVC pipe through the 18” steel pipe. This maintained the same capacity and offered a long-term solution.

The project also included a new high-service pump and 9,000 radio-read water meters with an automatic reading system.

Thrasher earned an honorable mention from the American Council of Engineering Companies in the 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards.