The demolition and steel wrecking of an early 1970’s, 2-million-gallon capacity steel reclaimed water tank which sat a third below the level of grade for the Irvine Ranch Water District was a fantastic experience. SoCal Removal gained an abundance of experience providing demolition contractor services to the local sanitation department public agency.
I got a chance to track down the contact information of the original engineer who built the steel water tank but found out he had decessed about 10 years ago by his widowed wife. Approximately 15 large trees and roots were removed and cleared to facilitate the project tasks.
The entire exterior surface contained significant lead based paint concentrations. Lead paint flake abatement involved laying plastic on the ground while the giant 8 ton shears of the excavator cut the metal and caused the paint to flake off at the cut seams. The tank also contained asbestos insulation down to the footing of the tank which was about 10 feet deep. Underground transite pipes and gaskets were uncovered as the bottom layer of the tanks metal was removed and debris mitigated.
Pipeline/plumbing work consisted of flanging a steel 18” drain line approximately 10′ below the site grade about 150 feet away from the tank connected by 18 inch transite pipes where the other existing tank drain line connected “Y” to the steel tank that SoCal Removal demolished.
The entire site was compacted and the hillside was graded accordingly to allow water to flow from one side to another slightly sloped. The compaction specification was 90% relative. The IRWD soil geologist vendor verified the work and signed off on the compaction.
If you have a steel tank or structure that needs removal, give Andre Abajian with SoCal Removal a call at 949-446-0000.
