Tracking the Sewer Rat: Where Is He?
During the last week of June, Mortimer the Rat traveled with Akkerman engineers Terry Fisher and Tim Fay, to Bogota, Columbia, to visit the headquarters of Ocesia. The company is currently finishing up in Fontibon installing local lines in this highly populated neighborhood for the Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogota. When completed, this project will have installed 18 km of pipe. There were a total of six Akkerman pipejacking and guided boring systems owned by three different companies working concurrently on this project.
Mortimer, Fisher and Fay visited a portion of this job where Ocesia used its Akkerman 4812 and 309 guided boring machine systems. Featured in the photo are Felipe Correa (holding Mortimer) and crew members from Ocesia, accompanied by Jose Escobar of Virtual Engineering (far right).
Mortimer underwent a whirlwind travel experience departing and returning in three quick days. He enjoyed the open-air flea markets in Bogota where he dined on authentic ajiaco (potato soup), cocido (chickpea stew), arepa (unleavened corn bread) and perused racks of traditional clothing. He discovered a fondness for new recording artist Pipe Bueno and purchased his album. He endured some questioning from the staff at the immigration and customs counters in Minneapolis and Bogota airports but continued with no delay.
You never know where Mortimer might show up next! Please check back for a complete accounting of Mortimer’s travels and also in an upcoming edition of Trenchless Technology or www.trenchlesstechnology.com.
In the spring of 2009, Akkerman purchased the traveling sewer rat from the 2009 International No-Show’s North American Society for Trenchless Technology’s (NASTT) Education Auction. Mr. Rat originally hailed from the City of Reno, Nev., and first surfaced during the 2007 Third Annual Western Society for Trenchless Technology No-Dig Annual Conference. Glenn Boyce and the folks at Jacobs and Associates won him and he spent 2007 in Seattle. He then traveled to Grapevine, Texas, for No-Dig 2008, was purchased by Pacific Boring and spent the year in Caruthers, Calif.
