Earthquake Repair of Skytop Deluge System

Owner: NAVFAC Southwest

Location: Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Ridgecrest, California

Designer: Balboa Engineering

Contractor: Orion Construction Corporation

Delivery Model: Design-Build

Contract Value: $3.7 million (Final)

Schedule: August 2020 – December 2022

Scope: This project includes the design and construction of a booster pump station and waterline to provide firefighting water to the Trident Intercontinental Ballistic Missile motor test facility. Construction included approximately 12,000LF of potable water pipelines, a new fully automated booster pump station, pressure reducing station, interconnections, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) upgrades, and the demolition of multiple buildings and existing infrastucture.

Challenges: This desert project was located within the China Lake Propulsion Laboratory (CLPL) high-security area. In addition to high security measures for site access, the arid desert climate required work in hot summer conditions (110+Degrees F) and cold winters (20 Degrees F) posing a major environmental challenge for means and methods and for the safety of work crews. The project site included maneuvering the pipeline alignment away from known American Indian archaeological sites and other environmentally sensitive areas. Orion crews had to cut right-of-way for the pipeline, and portions of the pipeline had to be cut through granite rock formations. All work had to be completed without impacting the ongoing missile testing schedule.

Results: The Skytop Deluge Project upgraded the NAWS China Lakes water-dousing system to ensure ICBM testing can be performed as planned. It provides consistent and modern water delivery to help maintain a safe missile testing facility.