Big Hole Transmission Line

Location: Divide, Montana, to Butte, Montana
Project Type: Infrastructure, Municipal, Construction Oversight

The Butte-Silver Bow (BSB) Big Hole Transmission Line is the primary potable water supply pipeline into Butte, Montana. This project goal is to replace all 21 miles of this pipeline. Since 2008, Pioneer has designed, permitted, and provided construction oversight to rehabilitate approximately 75,000 linear feet of the BSB Big Hole Transmission Line.

Current update:  Currently, Pioneer is working with BSB to plan future work including potential realignment of the pipeline along with bringing new water users into the system.

Work to date:

For the project, the engineering report and construction drawings specified installing a new, 36-inch ductile iron pipeline with polyethylene encasement, joint bonding, and test stations to monitor the pipeline to protect against corrosion. With the design effort, Pioneer prepared a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan for storm water discharge associated with construction activity and received approval from Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

For the project, Pioneer completed the following tasks:

• Assisted BSB with planning future events and analyzing alternatives.
• Assisted BSB with bid phase services for the materials required to construct the project.
• Provided construction oversight of the BSB Water Utility Division construction crews.
• Certified as-built record drawings for submittal to Montana DEQ upon completion of each phase of the project.
• Secured land use license agreements with the Montana Department of Natural Resources, encroachment and utility occupancy permits with the Montana Department of Transportation, and disinfected water discharge permit and several storm water general permits with DEQ.
• Worked with Fish, Wildlife and Parks to obtain permission to work in the Fleecer Wildlife Management Area.
• Worked with the U.S. Forest Service to obtain permission to cross Forest Service roads.

Project Dealt with

• Hydraulic Modeling and Design
• Materials Evaluation and Selection
• Replacing Large Diameter Buried Pipe
• Plans and Specifications
• Permitting
• Construction Inspection/ Administration
• As-Built Drawings
• Working with Multiple Agencies