A Need for Renewed Reliability
An empty field stretches out on the Texas countryside. Marked only by the sporadic movement of pumps whirring up and down in wells. It’s here, 20 miles away from the city that Big Lake is reaching for a long-term water supply solution.
Big Lake is located in a very arid part of the state with limited sources of groundwater, therefore the transmission line between the well field and the city is so important. The city’s storage tanks only hold a three day water supply at peak usage.
After years of leaks and other issues, the Reagan County Water Supply District planned a project that was intended to rejuvenate and restore the entire system. The original system was installed in the 1950s and used concrete cylinder pipe. In the 80s, some parts of the line were replaced with asbestos cement pipe, which ended up causing even more issues.
A Plan to Repair
Through grants and a loan from the USDA, Reagan County was able to take on the nearly $10 million task of building a reliable water infrastructure system. “They’ve got a pipeline system in the well field,” explained Scott Hay, Vice President at Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd and the engineer on the project. “The wells transfer the water to two tanks and then there is a pump station there. The receiving point is three one-million gallon storage tanks.The City of Big Lake takes the water from there, does their high-service pumping and treatment, and passes it on to their customers.” This time around, choosing the right pipe was critical.
Choosing the Right Pipe
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) was selected for the transmission line because of its reliability and durability. “The leak-free condition that HDPE provides made it an ideal choice,” said Hay. “Plus, the other issue was the inherent surge suppression that the flexible pipe provides in a long pipeline like this one. Some of the more rigid pipes don’t provide that same suppression. Surge can be exacerbated with the more rigid pipes. Also, it’s just pretty tough pipe. It takes a lot more to hurt it. If there’s any ground movement, there’s less of a chance to put a hole in the poly than other options out there.”
The ISCO Solution
Hal Smith, Regional Sales Manager for ISCO Industries worked with the ISCO team to put together a comprehensive bid package of materials and fusion labor that helped maximize the efficiency of the installation. In the end, these efficiencies contributed to an overall savings so great that the district was able to add a well field rehab project to their scope and pay for it with USDA funds.
ISCO provided 105,000 feet of 18-inch IPS DR9, 11, and 13.5 as well as fittings and valves to eventually transfer the raw water from the well field 20 miles to Big Lake.
Not only did ISCO provide the pipe, they provided the peace of mind that comes with experienced service. ISCO technicians performed all the fusion work on site. “ISCO was an integral part of a turnkey solution that will end up with the district having a state-of-the-art system that will serve them troublefree for many years to come,” Hay concluded.
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