DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTION RESOURCES

• American Ductile Iron Pipe Weathers Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Almost 30 Years After Installation In Alaska

  The year was 1989. The place was Anchorage, Alaska. The project was the installation of a gravity sewer line beneath Campbell Lake while it was drained for dam repairs. While this type of project and installation is unique in itself, the pipeline’s performance during a magnitude 7.1 earthquake more than 30 years after it was installed is equally remarkable.

• 10 Years After Installation, Insta-Valve 250 Helps Isolate Repair Area

  A previously installed Insta-Valve 250 insertion valve provided control for a fire pump removal without backflow between the water distribution piping and the water treatment facility. As part of an infrastructure improvement project, the City of Rock Falls needed to remove an old fire pump within the filter room of their water treatment plant. Unfortunately, the original system from 1962 did not have a valve after the primary check valve in the yard, thus making it impossible to isolate the repair area properly.

• Insta-Valve 250 Isolates Leaking Pipe And Avoids Water Disruption To Entire Island

  The Insta-Valve 250 provided a targeted shut down to repair aging, leaking water main without massive service disruption. The Village of Bald Head Island discovered one of their water mains was leaking. Roots from nearby vegetation had pushed a tapping saddle out of position, causing wear on the tap that eroded the pipe over time. Unfortunately, due to its location, there was no valve to isolate the area without shutting down the water system to the entire island, which was required just a week prior for a different repair. The island’s Public Services Director, JP McCann, wanted to avoid another island-wide shutdown, especially during the peak season when their population expanded to around 12,000 people.

• AFC SEMPER RPM Used To Study New Fairfield, California Transmission Line

  In March 2021, the city of Fairfield, California’s Water Division was tasked with commissioning a new 36-inch Cross Town Transmission Line (CTTL). The CTTL will enhance the already robust distribution system and better serve the water needs of the Water Division’s 33,000 customers. This new CTTL, however, will change the dynamics of the city’s current distribution system. To better understand how the new CTTL would affect operations, the AMERICAN Flow Control SEMPER Remote Pressure Monitor (RPM) was deployed to strategic points throughout the system.

• Cost Management In Valve Selection: Balancing Price With Suitability

  Because so many options exist, it’s possible to get safe and reliable performance from your valves without overspending. Matching valve specs to your application is the key.

• Las Vegas Valley Water District Utilizes Field Tools App And iPhones To Expand Functionality

  The Itron Field Tools mobile app has allowed for our Field Technicians to use their iPhones as a multifunctional device. The Field Tools App also allows us to upgrade with minimal involvement from our IT teams. Testing the application prior to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) release allowed us to provide feedback making the acceptance level high for our end users. The App is easy to use enabling for quick, simple and minimal training in a virtual meeting environment. The Itron Mobile Radio also helped eliminate previous issues with antenna breakage on the FC300 handheld.

• Breathtaking Work Nearly 300 Feet Underwater

  Major project replacing large debris grate at Gross Dam requires experts in the harrowing field of saturation diving.

• WWEMA Window: Governmental Policy And The Impacts On Construction Costs

  There are a few current governmental policies that have impacted the construction cost of water and wastewater infrastructure over the last several years. Some are older policies that were established many years ago and some are newer policies that were implemented to help U.S. manufacturers compete in these markets against foreign manufacturers. There is some discussion now in Washington to implement more policies such as $15 minimum wage and revisions to the Made in America requirements for purchases using federal money, both direct and indirect.

• Hurricane Sandy Emergency Floodwater Drainage

  The devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy on New York City and the Northeast U.S. surprised some, but the people at Xylem were not among them. Xylem’s dedicated water professionals stood ready to fight the surging seawaters and torrential rainfall that threatened thousands of homes and commercial properties in Sandy’s path.

• Creek Culvert Bypass Helps New York State Avoid A Major Road Closure

  Mayfield Creek in Fulton County, New York, is an arterial body that flows out of Great Sacandaga Lake for approximately four miles through farmland and the upstate countryside. At several points along the way, the creek runs through culverts and under bridge structures, as highways and local roads intersect its path. During an inspection, it became clear that one major culvert – 140 feet long, 15 feet tall and running under heavily traveled Route 30 – had outlived its expected life. The 10-guage corrugated steel structure was deteriorated and needed to be repaired – with as little disruption to Route 30 traffic patterns as possible.