中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司

CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

METHOD STATEMENT FOR THE RESERVOIRS WATER TIGHTNESS TEST

PROJECT TITLE: DESIGN, REHABILITATION, UPGRADING AND EXTENSION OF

WATER SUPPLY NETWORK IN KIGALI CITY AND PERI-URBAN AREAS

CLIENT: WATER AND SANITATION CORPORATION (WASAC)

CONSULTANT: JV IBC AND SGI

CONTRACTOR: CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP CO. LTD

(CRCEG)

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

Contents
1. Project Overview.......................................................................................................................................3
2. Before the water tightness test.................................................................................................................4
2.1 Prerequisites for the test....................................................................................................................4
2.2 Water tightness test preparation........................................................................................................5
3. Water tightness test..................................................................................................................................5
3.1 Water tightness test............................................................................................................................5
4. Leakage treatment of pool........................................................................................................................6
4.1 Leakage of construction joints...........................................................................................................6
4.2 Leakage due to the low level of concrete impermeability..................................................................7
4.3 Leakage of sealed holes, sealed embedded pipes and other buried parts..........................................7
4.4 Leakage of concrete cracks................................................................................................................8
5. Appendix: Record Form of Water Tightness Test......................................................................................8

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

1. Project Overview
The reservoirs in the “Design, Rehabilitation, Upgrading and Extension of Water Supply
Network in Kigali City and Peri-Urban Areas” Project, constructed by CRCEG, will be subjected
to water tightness tests according to the BS 8007 ‘Design of concrete structures for retaining
aqueous liquids’. The reservoirs’ information is given below:

ID No. Name Capacity (m3) Quantity by Capacity

#6 Remera 10000 1
#30 Gahanga 7500
2
#31 Nyanza 7500
#1 Kikondo-Nyenyeri (Carriere) 5000
#7 Kimironko 5000
#10 Kibagabaga 5000
6
#11 Kimicanga 5000
#12 Runda 5000
#32 Bidudu/Kanzenze 5000
#2 Rebero 2000
#3 Nzove-Skol 2000
#4 Nyarugunga-Busanza 2000
#8 Nyamirambo-Rugarama 2000
8
#13 Masaka 2000
#15 Rwandatel 2000
#33 Kanombe-Kabeza 2000
#34 Kanombe-Busanza 2000
#5 Kanombe-Rwimbogo 1000 13
#9 City Center (Plateau) 1000
#14 Kacyiru (Merdien) 1000
#16 Golf 7 1000

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

#17 Kabuga 1000

#18 Ndera 1000
#19 Gasanze 1000
#20 At Landfill 1000
#21 Nduba Near other Reservoir 1000
#35 Gahanga-Karembure 1000
#36 Bugesera 1000
#37 Amakawa 1000
#38 At Gakwenzire/Gikingo 1000
#22 Nduba 600
#27 Kanyinya 2 600 3
#39 Bweramvura near nursary school 600
#23 Substation EUCL 500 1
#26 Kanyinya 1 400
#29 Rugali Near School/Nyarubuye 400 3
#40 Jabana/Kamatamu 400
#28 Kigese 250 1
#24 Break pressure 50
#25 Break pressure 50 3
#41 Break pressure 50

Given that water evaporation is negligible for closed-type reservoirs, its calculation is not
required during water tightness tests. It is only required for opened-type reservoirs/tanks.

2. Before the water tightness test

2.1 Prerequisites for the test
 The compressive strength of the concrete structure must meet the design requirements;
 This test should be done before applying the external wall waterproofing layer and
backfilling soil around the reservoir;

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

 All holes in the concrete, such as manholes, ventilation duct holes, etc. must be blocked
by a galvanized iron sheet and an adhesive tape will be used to seal around the galvanized
iron sheet;
 The installation of water inlet, outlet, overflow pipes and washouts must be completed.
These pipes will be sealed with the approved gate valves or blind plates.
 WASAC water will be used in this test.
Reservoirs over 2000 cubic meters are composed of two independent chambers, which will be
tested independently during the water tightness tests. Since the two chambers have independent
inlet, outlet, washout, and overflow pipes; the water tightness test will be first performed in the
first chamber. After the water tightness test is finished, the water in the first chamber will be
directly pumped to the other chamber so as not to waste water. After the test is completed, water
will be drained through the washout.
2.2 Water tightness test preparation
 Repair and treat honeycombs, segregation, and formwork screw holes on the concrete
surface. The concrete surface around embedded pipes should also be treated so as to
avoid leakage;
 Thorough inspection of concrete surface, if cracks or uneven settlement are identified,
they should be dealt with;
 Temporarily block/seal the holes opening as prescribed above;
 Check the gate valve for leakage;
 Clean and remove all the debris in the reservoir;
 Prepare necessary safety protection measures and lighting appliances;
 Set the water level observation ruler to indicate the water level during water injection,
and install a water level probe to measure the water level drop (or use a Vernier caliper
instead);
 Arrange observation points and measure the initial elevation value of each observation
point of the reservoir;

3. Water tightness test

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

3.1 Water tightness test

Inject fresh water into the reservoir in three parts according to the design water depth.
 The first time, inject it up to 50 cm (+ 0.8m) above the horizontal construction joint, then
up to 1/3 of the designed water depth,
 The second time up to 2/3 of the designed water depth,
 The third time up to the total design water depth.
When first filled, the water level will be maintained by the addition of further water for a
stabilizing period while absorption and autogenous healing takes place. The reservoir will be
filled at a uniform rate of not greater than 2m in 24h, and the interval between two adjacent
water injections is 24 h. The stabilizing period will be 21 days. During the 21-day test period, the
total permissible drop in level should not exceed 1/500th of the water depth of the full tank.
Water level will be observed using a water level observation ruler during water injection. After
injection, a water level probe will used to measure the water level drop. The reading accuracy of
the water level probe is 0.1 mm. This water level probe will be installed on a horizontal timber
bar. After 24 hours of water injection, the initial reading will be read; and every 24 hours, a
water level reading will be read. At the same time, the quality of the concrete surface outside the
tank and around the pipes will be carefully monitored. If there is visible leakage around the
embedded pipes, and the amount of measured water seepage is relatively large, the water
injection will be stopped. After fixing the problem, the water injection will then continue.
The reading time can also be determined according to the following specific situations of the
water level drop.
 If there is no leakage in the appearance of the reservoir and the amount of water seepage
meets the standard, the reading can be recorded normally.
 If the water seepage exceeds the allowable water seepage standard without any visible
leakage, you can continue to measure the water level drop, record the extended reading
time, and find out why the water level drop exceeds the standard.

4. Leakage treatment of pool

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

Note: If the structure does not meet the specified requirements, after the completion of the
remedial work, it will be refilled and a further test of 7 days’ test duration will then be
undertaken in accordance with the BS 8007.
During the water tightness test of the reservoir, the following types of leakage may occur in the
reservoir:
 Leakage of construction joints,
 Leakage due to the low level of concrete impermeability,
 Leakage of sealed holes as well as sealed embedded pipes,
 Leakage of concrete cracks, etc.
4.1 Leakage of construction joints
The following reasons can cause the construction joint leakage:
 When the construction joints were not properly roughened before casting concrete, thus
causing a weak concrete joint;
 When the construction joints were not properly cleaned or water has accumulated;
 When the mortar on the concrete joint was insufficient, thus causing the joint to be dry;
 When there was poor vibration while casting concrete;
 When the poured concrete had poor workability; etc.
Treatment method: Both the inside and outside surface of concrete must be treated and repaired.
1. The leaking construction joints should be cut into 3-5 cm deep and 2-3 cm wide grooves.
2. Then, a wire brush and pressurized water will be used to thoroughly clean the groove.
3. Afterwards, the groove is repaired with SIKA waterproof cement mortar (Technical
specification is attached herewith). It is usually filled in 2-3 layers. The time interval
between layers reparation should not be less than 8h. Before filling, the groove should be
first brushed with cement paste. When the construction joint is located at the corner of the
wall and the floor, the corner is covered with layers of a triangular shape. When
repairing, the groove should be moist, and not overflowing with water.
4. After repairing the seepage area of the joints, another layer of the SIKA waterproof
cement mortar can be added to strengthen the waterproofing and anti-seepage ability.

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

4.2 Leakage due to the low level of concrete impermeability

Due to the large thickness of the concrete, poor vibration, or poor workability of concrete, the
form of leakage may appear as a wet stain on the surface but without water seepage. It may also
have some slight seepage, which could seriously develop into a large leak.
Lighter seepage areas can be chiseled and brushed, and surface treatment can be carried out the
same way as the construction joint leakage.
For more serious seepage areas, loose concrete should be removed according to the situation, and
then treated similarly to the construction joints. An additional 10 to 15 mm thick SIKA
waterproof cement mortar should then be added.
4.3 Leakage of sealed holes, sealed embedded pipes and other buried parts
The leaking part is appropriately chiseled, cleaned and then repaired the same way as the
construction joint treatment.
4.4 Leakage of concrete cracks
For severe concrete crack repair, it should be handled according to specific conditions. For
general crack repair, the surface sealing method can be used as follows:
The materials to be used should be non-toxic, water-resistant, alkali-resistant, and weather-
resistant. Non-toxic epoxy cement is commonly used.
1. Before sealing, a steel wire brush is used to clean at a range of 5cm width around the
concrete crack.
2. After hot air drying, 2-3 layers of epoxy cements are directly applied at intervals of 12h.

5. Appendix: Record Form of Water Tightness Test

Reservoir water tightness test record

Project name

Reservoir name Construction unit

Reservoir structure Allowable water

seepage

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

（L／㎡·d）
Reservoir surface area Water surface area
（m×m） A1（㎡）
Total wet area
Water depth（m）
A2（㎡）
Difference between
Reading record Initial reading Last reading
readings
Reading time（Year,
month, date）
Hour, seconds
Reservoir water level
E（㎜）
Atmospheric
temperature（℃）
Water temperature
（℃）
Percentage of allowable
m3/d L／㎡·d amount
Actual water ％
seepage

Contractor Consultant Client

Participants

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test
 中 铁 建 工 集 团 有 限 公 司
CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP

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Method statement for the Reservoirs water tightness test