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Note From The Editor
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Cecil and Jeb are back!
The third episode of The Adventures of Cecil and Jeb has just been released. Click the image or link below to watch the crazy fusion operators learn the benefits of the PolyHorse.
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Greetings,
If there is a state that knows a thing or two about water, it’s Florida. The state contends with hurricanes that dump heavy rainfalls in a short amount of time, two massive coastlines, world-famous beaches, the Everglades and many canals.
With so much water as part of everyday life, naturally some manmade management comes into play. Recently, the South Florida Water Management District called upon Moving Water Industries (MWI) and HD Supply to use their expertise to move the water in a subbasin to a manageable level in order to repair an eroded flood gate. The Osceola County flood gate’s base was originally 12 inches of cement, but the water had eroded the cement to 8 inches.
Polyethylene pipe turned out to be the perfect solution for the repair. Four lines of 42-inch SDR 26 pipe were fused together and connected to MWI’s pumps with flanges and bolts. Each pump moves approximately 40,000 gallons per minute, with the hope of moving a maximum of 185,000 gallons per minute across the four pipes and pumps.
With all of Florida’s water concerns, its not uncommon to see one of their pumps on a water-involved jobsite. In fact, the company’s reputation led to a call for help during Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath. All of the company’s pumps were put into the fray, often requiring a helicopter to airlift the equipment into the work zones.
Although not quite the same scale of job as the Katrina clean-up, the flood-gate repair near Cypress Lake required getting the maximum performance out of the pumps and the pipe that would transfer the water to the other side of the dam. MWI’s Claudio Grecco, a technical specialist, says that in many instances HDPE is the best answer for moving water.
“Using steel, a weld (on 42-inch pipe) would take two hours and that’s just for one pass,” said Grecco. “It might take a total of three passes by a welder to make sure the steel pipe is leak-free. Every jobsite we get, this poly pipe is what we beg for.”
Grecco also said that in the case of the flood gate repair, bidding with HDPE was approximately $30,000 cheaper than using steel, and the flexibility of the pipe would be a huge asset on the job.
HD Supply provided the pipe, a McElroy Rolling No. 1648 and fusion technician Charles Scarbary to complete the fusion process.
The jobsite called for a number of 45-degree elbows to be fused onto the four pipes at different distances to create four pipes running side-by-side from above the dam to below it. By the end of the project, the four pipes looked like a smaller “C” hugged by a larger “C” surrounded by an even larger “C” and so on. The three-segment ells were fabricated before arriving at the site by truckload.
“This machine has paid for itself many times over,” said Scarbary. “Forty-two inch pipe is our most popular size, so this machine sees plenty of work.”
Scarbary worked in unison with a hydraulic excavator and telehandler to maneuver the pipe and subsequent ells in, out and around the machine. Once a sizeable length of pipe was fused together, it was pulled into place and attached to MWI’s pumps with a bolted flange.
While repairing a single flood gate could be viewed as minimal by some, it is a great example of how HDPE can be used quickly to circumvent a problem. Kevin Poole, field superintendent for HD Supply, also stated that the South Florida Water Management District is likely to reuse the 42-inch pipe down the road – yet another advantage of polyethylene.
Sincerely,
Tyler Henning
thenning@mcelroy.com |
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| New Product Spotlight: PolyHorse PowerAssist |
Worksite productivity has a new ally – the McElroy PolyHorse PowerAssist. The PowerAssist is the perfect compliment to the PolyHorse, a piece of equipment for handling and staging 3” to 20” high-density polyethylene pipe on a jobsite. With the new PowerAssist attachment, an operator can get a powered roller to assist in maneuvering pipe up, down and into a McElroy fusion machine.
The PowerAssist quickly and easily taps into a McElroy fusion machine’s hydraulic facer lines with no tools necessary. Available as part of a PolyHorse kit or individually for attachment to existing PolyHorses, the PowerAssist is a viable option for boosting your fusion operations.
Click here for more information on the PolyHorse PowerAssist. |
| Have you ever had a question about HDPE? |
The Alliance for PE Pipe recently published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on their website. The page highlights exactly what HDPE is, what it can be used for, and the different applications in which HDPE can be used.
Click here to visit the Alliance for PE Pipe.
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| Report examines global water crisis |
LONDON — A February 2 BBC News report examines the global water crisis and what roles power, poverty and inequality play in it.
The report, “Water - another global ‘crisis’?” by BBC News Web environmental correspondent Richard Black, looks to answer the following:
“Why do some communities have so little access to water? And how will the current picture change in a world where the human population is growing, where societies are urbanizing and industrializing, and where climate change may alter the raw availability of water significantly?”
Click here to read the entire story. |
| Agency gives OK for S. Utah water pipeline studies |
The Associated Press
The Utah Division of Water Resources has gotten federal approval to start studies on a $1 billion water pipeline project.
The pipeline would start at Lake Powell near Glen Canyon Dam and would span 139 miles to Sand Hollow Reservoir in Washington County. Another 38 miles of pipeline would be constructed from Washington County to Iron County.
Eric Millis, the division's deputy director, says the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has accepted plans for environmental and cultural resource studies.
Click here to read the entire story. |
| Water board OKs bid for desal piping |
By Jay Pateakos, Herald News Staff Reporter
It’s been said that good things come to those who wait and, for the Swansea Water District, that waiting helped save more than $230,000 toward the cost of 2.2 miles of desalination piping.
The district sought bids twice last year, on July 6 and Sept. 18. The bids were for two lines of pipe totaling 22,000 feet: one pipe, 20 inches wide, for water intake from the Palmer River; the other, 16 inches wide, to return extra water once processed back to the river. Both pipes would run side by side.
The 2008 piping bids came back at $500,000 and $550,000, respectively, and both were rejected due to cost concerns. Since the last bid, the Water District broadened the type of piping material, allowing fusible PVC and high-density polyethylene pipes to be included in the bidding.
Click here to read the entire story.
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| Westchester Lagoon Project -Contractor Faces Unusual Challenges in Anchorage |
Story by Gene Storm -- Pacific Builder and Engineer, 2/2/2009
Chester Creek flows through the heart of Anchorage from its headwaters high in the Chugach Mountains east of the city. Near its terminus it supplies a controlled water volume for Westchester Lagoon before flowing under a popular recreational trail and the Alaska Railroad embankment, finally emptying into Knik Arm. It is at this intersection that a $6-million habitat restoration and flood control project is taking shape while presenting unusual construction challenges.
The project took years to plan and is the work of the Municipality of Anchorage in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and a host of other local and private organizations. With local, state and federal permits in place, the project started at the end of July 2008 with Hamilton Construction LLC of Skagway, AK, as prime contractor.
Click here to read the entire story.
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| City bond would pay for water line |
By Ben Lundin
THIBODAUX, La. — City officials agreed to sell $8 million in bonds to overhaul the web of cast-iron water pipes in east Thibodaux that have gone untouched for six decades.
City officials say they hope the cost of the endeavor, which will be known in coming months as bids and estimates stream in, will fall short of the bond money council members unanimously agreed upon during their Tuesday meeting.
Taxpayers will not need to approve the bond, as state law does not require it in this case.
Officials recently pushed for the bond sale due to favorable market conditions brought on by the recession.
Click here to read the entire story.
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| Oil of the 21st Century |
Washington wells tapping Ice Age groundwater
KENNEWICK, Wash. — A two-year groundwater-mapping study in eastern Washington State has revealed that most deep wells in the study area are tapping 10,000-year-old water left by the last Ice Age, and the aquifer is not being recharged, The Seattle Times reported on February 3.
The $2 million study was conducted by the Columbia Basin Groundwater Management Area of Othello, WA, and focused on an 8,000-square-mile area. Researchers said the study showed that deep wells in Franklin, Adams, Grant and Lincoln counties are most affected.
Click here to read the entire story. |
Mexico City reduces water service as reserves dip
By Julie Watson
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico City shut down a main water pipeline under a new conservation program, cutting service to more than 2 million residents Sunday after some reservoirs dropped to their lowest levels in 16 years.
The Mexico City government and the National Water Commission will interrupt service for three days every month until May, when the rainy season begins.
Mexico City's government says the plan will affect everyone from those living in million-dollar mansions to cement hovels. Another 13 cities in the metro area of 20 million also will see service reduced, the National Water Commission said.
Click here to read the entire story. |
The California water torture: Mother Nature flaking out on Sierra snow
By Dennis Wyatt
It isn’t a snow job.
California is in deep trouble.
The Department of Water Resources Sierra snowpack survey this week showed it is at 61 percent of normal. A growing number of water experts are warning Californians the outlook for adequate water to irrigate crops, fight fires, run businesses, flush toilets, and water lawns is growing dismal with each passing day of dry winter weather.
“It’s not good,” pointed out South San Joaquin Irrigation District General Manager Jeff Shields. “The next eight weeks are critical for us.”
Click here to read the entire story. |
Tulsa officials worried about losing water source
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa utility officials say the city might lose rights to a potential third source of water if a long-stagnated project doesn't gain momentum.
In 1986, the city signed a 30-year contract with the Grand River Dam Authority, allowing Tulsa to take water from Lake Hudson in Mayes County. The contract will activate when the city begins drawing water from the lake.
That year, the city also bought a 400-acre reservoir in Wagoner County to hold the water and, in later years, acquired the rights of way for most of a 37-mile pipeline. Plans called for the pipeline to be operational by 1990, but population projection caused the project to fall by the wayside.
Click here to read the entire story. |
Hot springs pipe may deliver at 113 degrees
by Christopher Kolomitz
New pipe in a segment of line carrying water from Poncha Hot Springs five miles west of Salida may deliver it to Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center at about 113 degrees.
That would be hot enough the water would require cooling - something that hasn't been necessary for years at the Salida landmark on U.S. 50.
Ever since completion of the $1.8 million installation of 6-inch ductile-iron pipe in late 2001, water delivered to the pool has been less than hot. Monday the water in the small pool was 99 degrees and the lap pool was 84 degrees.
Click here to read the entire story. |
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McElroy Connections is published by McElroy Manufacturing Inc. The information contained within each issue is meant as a service to our customers, distributors, and those involved with Polyethylene Pipe applications.
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