Catch Basins and Manholes: Products, Installation, and Settlement and Heave Mitigation

Status:  Complete
Report Date:  10/11/2021

Summary:

Practices for constructing and repairing catch basins and manholes vary across Minnesota municipalities and counties. There are a variety of products available for building a catch basin or manhole, sealing structure joints, and helping reduce infiltration and intrusion; however, there is very little documentation on the local experience with catch basins and manholes in Minnesota as most resources are promotional literature or articles from industry publications. The Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) initiated this project to document best practices for managing the effects of settlement and heave at catch basins and manholes. However, in response to feedback from municipalities indicating that settlement and heave were not dominant issues, the focus of the study was broadened to include more general municipal experiences and practices with catch basins and manholes. The LRRB surveyed Minnesota municipalities, reviewed municipal specifications and product promotional literature, and interviewed industry and municipal professionals. This guide provides foundational information to help Minnesota municipalities select and implement appropriate materials and methods for catch basin and manhole installation/maintenance. Two hypothetical field scenarios will assist public works and city engineers in constructing new structures or maintaining and repairing existing structures. In this report, municipal engineers share their practices, product preferences and facility specifications. The resulting report includes current information about construction practices, products to seal joints and surfaces against water infiltration, and effective methods to backfill and compact soil around new installations to prevent the soil from settling and heaving.

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