Gulfstream Pipes Up

It was the Wednesday before the 1998 Donn Handicap when the first race was canceled after a sinkhole developed in the stretch of Gulfstream Park's main track.

Unseasonable rain had persisted. A drainage pipe beneath the surface between the three-sixteenth and eighth poles was the culprit, creating the sinkhole that measured four feet in diameter and three feet deep.

It's unlikely history will repeat if heavy rain occurs because Gulfstream Park officials did something about it during the summer.

A company inspected every drainage pipe using video cameras, said track superintendent Ted Malloy. "We learned two needed to be fixed."

The 24-inch pipes were under last season's trouble spot in the stretch and at the winner's circle, which drains water from the main building's roof and paddock area.

"The pipes are old," Malloy said. "The last one we added was a 48-inch pipe from the stable area."

The damaged pipes were relined using a method called Insituform: Felt tubes saturated with resin were inserted by a vacuum-like process using water pressure, turned inside out and bonded to the pipes using hot water. The half-inch liners hardened, providing uniform thickness and strength. Independent tests show similarly treated pipes last at least 50 years.

Malloy was thankful that "we didn't have to dig up the track."

There's a second element in the drainage process to meet environmental regulations. "All water that falls on the track goes to the lake," he said. "Ultimately, the water has to cross beneath the dirt and turf courses.

"Rain water enters an adjacent pond, where it's treated, before going to the lake. That's because of government ecological requirements. The pond is tested monthly."

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