Stoneham, MA
MWRA, Spot Pond
Scope/Solutions
SGH developed an emergency repair for a 48 in. dia. prestressed concrete cylinder pipeline penetrating the concrete core of the Spot Pond Dam. The pipe was cracked at the penetration point due to ground movement at a nearby bend in the pipeline.
SGH developed emergency repairs to reduce the risk of pipeline burst and stop leakage during a very short window of pipeline down time. We then designed a permanent repair for the pipe going through the dam core. Highlights of our work on this project include the following:
- Inspected the pipe at its interface with the shore face of a wall
- Performed finite element soil-structure interaction analyses of the pipeline, which indicated that the pipe leakage was caused by differential movement of the pipe and thrust block
- Designed external and internal emergency repairs, including immediate installation of circumferential post-tensioning tendons to strengthen the pipe and prevent pipe rupture under pressure along with installation of a continuous inner seal system to stop the leak
- Designed a permanent repair with a specially designed closure piece that would allow pipe movement relative to the wall
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Project Summary
Solutions
Failure Investigation | Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures | Advanced Analysis
Markets
Infrastructure & Transportation
Client(s)
Massachusetts Water Resource Authority
Specialized Capabilities
Repair & Strengthening | Buried Infrastructure
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
MBTA Kendall/MIT Station Entrance
As part of the Kendall Square Initiative—a collaborative development created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and private partners—the MBTA Kendall/MIT station was upgraded with a new headhouse designed to improve accessibility.
Northeast
Stop & Shop
Shop & Stop Store #539 is constructed with a rooftop parking deck over the supermarket. SGH was the engineer of record for a new split-slab waterproofing system design, and also evaluated and developed repairs to address concealed damage to the building structure and parking deck.


