November 8, 2025 Project Update

The foundations for the large, egg-shaped digester tanks are now being formed up, and concrete is being poured to create the basis of the deep concrete and steel support system. As you look at this picture and compare it to last month, you can really start to see the project take shape, literally from the ground up. From this picture the support walls are now also starting to be formed.

The pile driving continues to move forward on the other two large foundation areas. It is expected that this work, the loud pile driving, will continue for at least another month. It is noted that this has taken a bit longer than expected. Your continued patience and understanding for the potential noise disturbance is greatly appreciated.

October 2, 2025 Project Update

The foundations for the large egg-shaped digester tanks are now being formed up with tons and miles of very thick rebar. This rebar grid will also be encased with yards of high strength concrete to provide a strong foundation on which the digester tanks will sit. It is expected that the pile driving will continue for about another month, if the contractor is able to stay on schedule.

September 4th, 2025 Project Update

Compare these two images - the picture and the plan. The circular grid pattern is starting to become visible as more steel piers are pounded into the ground.

In this image several construction elements are taking place. First, the rebar cages are visible and protruding from the steel piers. These have been filled with concrete. Second, steel piers are being welded into placed on top of the exposed cages and piers to form a continuous solid steel and concrete footing and foundation.

This image shows stacks of rebar that have been shaped with a curve. These will be placed in forms with concrete added to help create a strong foundation for the upright, 120-foot-tall digester tanks.

And of course, the pile driving continues. Currently there are two such pieces of equipment on site. The noise may be intense at times but the contractor is working as quickly and safely as possible to get this portion of the project completed.

August 7, 2025 - Project Update

The pile driving has commenced again. From the previous post it was noted there will be 528 of these long tubular piles driven into the ground from 30 feet to over 100 feet deep. The contractor and design engineers continue to make adjustments to fine tune the placement of each pile to make sure the grid of piles will support the 120 feet tall digester tanks. The pile driving will continue through the end of October.

A close up of the pile driving operation. Once the piles are driven deep enough into the ground, the contractor will place steel rebar cages into the cylinder and then fill them with concrete.

Large panoramic view of the job site

July 11, 2025 - Project Update

WHAT IS HAPPENING

The pile driving operation is back underway.

In all there are 538 of these piles that need to be driven to a depth of up to one hundred fifteen feet into the substrate, so we are just in the early stages with this work.

Have you heard the noise? Have you seen the large construction crane? What is going on over there? These may be some frequently asked questions about the Timpanogos Special Service District (TSSD) Pile Driving Project. And just to clarify, the pile driving project is different than the other project, which is all about laying a very long and large sewer pipe.

To be sure, TSSD is spending hundreds of millions of dollars for the benefit of the environment, the communities they serve and to make the wastewater treatment process more efficient and effective. All this will make the facility more modern, last longer into the future and increase capacity to meet the needs of growing communities in northern Utah Valley.

The pile driving project is one, in a host of improvements being made at the wastewater treatment facility. Specifically, the pile driving, is a subset or just a portion of the larger overall project that literally forms the foundation of two very large wastewater digesters that are a part of the "sewer treatment" process.

In all there will be 538 large steel piles, long narrow pipes welded end to end to form piers or "piles" as long at 130 feet - end to end. These will be placed in a very specific, engineered pattern that are a part of the foundation system that will in turn support two large, egg shaped digester process tanks.

The pile in the photo below, has been pounded into the ground to a depth of about 115 feet, with another 15 feet sticking out. In order to get that overall length, three, fifty-foot pipe sections are welded together.

This image shows the pattern for the engineering drawing based on subsurface soil conditions, the weight of the foundation and the weight of the structure that will be placed on top of it - the egg shaped digester tanks.

For illustration purposes, here is an image that is somewhat similar in scope and size as what the TSSD project is like. In this example these two happen to be more rounded like a ball, whereas the TSSD digesters will be more elongated and egg shaped. To read more about this system, check out this link - Egg-Shaped Digester Waste Water Treatment Plant - Garco Construction - General Contractor for Commercial Construction.

So what is all that noise? You are not hearing gun shots. What you are hearing is the noise from the large, diesel powered, pneumatic pile driver. It's sort of like a very large nail gun, except it uses a diesel engine instead of compressed air to drive steel piles into the ground, one slam at a time. Due to the nature of the location, basically ancient lake bottom, the underlying ground is very soft. Hence, 538 piles and a very thick concrete foundation pad is required to support the heavy structure on soft ground. The piles are driven into the ground, about 120 feet, until they hit a harder or more solid ground to support the weight above.

You may have also noticed we seem to be using the word "large" frequently. It's true and on purpose. The digester towers, adjoining elevator shaft and enclosed staircase will be over 120 feet tall above the ground. To put that in perspective, the Kimball Tower on the BYU campus in Provo is about 120 feet tall. The overall height of the digester towers are due to the nature of the process in reclaiming waste (sewer) water to make it clean before it is conveyed out to Utah Lake. Hence, the scale and scope of this project is "large" - really big stuff for sure.