May 13, 2025 - Project Update

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.