Marine outfall construction: background, techniques, and case studies

The use of marine outfalls to carry treated wastewater from land to sea is important for coastal municipalities and industries. Outfall projects present complex environmental, engineering, and construction challenges. Until now, however, very little practical information has been available to guide engineers, government officials, contractors, industries, and communities. Marine Outfall Construction contains practical guidance, detailed case studies, and more than 700 references. Grace explains why an outfall is the disposal method of choice. He uses his extensive offshore experience to describe the particular challenges that accompany a construction project at sea. He examines techniques for installing a pipeline underwater, including trestles, bottom-pull, horizontal directional drilling, crane barges, and robotics. He outlines specific obstacles to successful outfall construction, such as difficult sites and deep water locations, and he examines unique outfalls, along with those that turned out to be difficult or impossible to install. Appendixes include an annotated list of the major features of 400 global outfall projects, a technical summary of applicable wave-related concepts, and a discussion of immersed tubes.

The marine oufall in context -- Moving toward construction -- Providing a stable work base within the surf zone -- Pulling an outfall seaward along the ocean floor -- Placing outgfalls under protected sites or obstructions -- Crane barge offshore, trestle inshore, trouble ahead -- High-tech outfall installation in deep water -- Creating tunnel outfalls and their risers -- Hybrid design outfalls -- Selected polyethylene outfalls -- Unusual outfalls -- Difficult or impossible outfalls -- Giant tunnel outfall as part of the Boston Harbor cleanup -- Appendix A: Selected world outfalls, continuing after table 1-1 -- Appendix B: Wave-related concepts and calculations for outfall design-build -- Appendix C: Immersed tubes as big outfalls.