City of Escanaba

Raw Water Intake

Escanaba, Michigan

The City of Escanaba contracted with C2AE to provide engineering services for construction of a new raw water intake into Bay de Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. 

The Escanaba intake includes 700 ft. of 30-inch ductile iron pipe (DIP) installed below lake level, 1,000 feet of conventional open cut land installation, a new timber intake crib, and small diameter tubing for sampling and mussel control at the submerged intake. The new intake crib was designed to be located at a depth of 65 ft. Intake trash screens were designed with low approach velocities to limit fish capture and were constructed of copper to resist mussel fowling. Facilities were provided for video inspection and mechanical cleaning.

Project design required careful coordination with regulatory agencies to accomplish necessary environmental protection in this sensitive area of Lake Michigan. Specifications required installation of silt curtains to limit the spread of fine sediment and was scheduled outside of identified fish spawning periods.

Project features included barge based off-shore excavation with divers performing intake pipe installation, deep onshore excavation in sandy soils adjacent to (and connecting to) the City’s water treatment facility and very wet conditions requiring a substantial dewatering operation.