![]() ![]() ![]() It serves Muscogee County and sells water to Harris and Talbot counties and the Fort Benning military base. The utility pumps an average of 35 mgd from a treatment plant with a capacity of 90 mgd. It also has electronic monitors on creeks throughout the region. Walking the creeks is just one way Columbus Water keeps a close watch on the creeks that drain its service area and supply its reservoir. “We generate work orders based on each walk, and our field services team follows up,” says Burchfield. Knee-deep in the water, the creek walkers look for pipes that are cracked, for pipes that have been bumped by trees washing downstream during high water, or for erosion that might leave pipes unsupported and vulnerable to cracking. They generally walk the creeks during low-flow periods they work two or three at a time for safety. Once a year, the water utility joins with the stormwater utility for a creek-walking event, but the water utility also has a three-person watershed crew that routinely walks creeks known to have issues with sewer pipes that cross them, or other potential problems. The creek walking program was one reason Columbus Water Works won a 2019 Sustainable Utility Award for utility management from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. When you’re walking, you can see how the stream is flowing, and if it looks healthy. ![]() We also observe the wildlife, such as frogs, turtles and minnows. It’s like any inspection: You have to know where to look. “We find it very beneficial to routinely walk the creeks,” says Vic Burchfield, senior vice president for the Division of Information, Security, Environmental and Meter Services in Columbus, a Georgia city of nearly 200,000. Almost 19,000 feet of that line was 30-inch Fastite, and 8,080 feet of that pipe is lined with Protecto 401 ceramic epoxy lining.Columbus Water Works team members regularly wade upstream in creeks looking for problems such as cracked sewer pipes or erosion that has left pipes unsupported.Ĭolumbus Water Works uses electronic monitoring and other technology to manage its watershed and its water and wastewater treatment, but it also uses more pedestrian methods. Almost 25,000 feet of AMERICAN Fastite and Flex-Ring ductile iron pipe were installed to connect the base’s wastewater system with CWW. You put their pipe in the ground and forget about it.- CWW’s Steve DavisĪMERICAN supplied more than 25,000 feet of 30-inch ductile iron pipe – mostly Fastite – for work that connected Fort Benning’s water supply with the CWW system. “We’re really into life-cycle costs, and that’s one of the reasons we like AMERICAN. And Flex-Ring minimizes the risks of our having to go back to this crossing for repairs or maintenance in the future.- CWW Director of Engineering Steve Davis on an installation that crossed Upatoi Creek “AMERICAN’s Flex-Ring pipe provided strength and durability, and its generous joint deflection gave us restraint without having to use thrust blocks on the creek crossing. Hailey, commenting on AMERICAN ductile iron pipe, which was installed via a bridge crossing Upatoi Creek Anytime we have an opportunity to use ductile iron pipe, we use AMERICAN.- Mike Rast, project manager for contractor W.L. The special lining they use for sewer pipe just adds to the longevity. “It’s a bulletproof pipe, and we think it’s the best product out there. Contractors were Gordy Construction (Columbus, Ga.) and W.L. Providing services to Fort Benning is expected to increase the peak wastewater discharge by 4.5 MGD and peak water demand by 6.8 MGD.Įngineers included Jordan, Jones and Goulding (Atlanta) and CH2MHill (Montgomery, Ala.). The utility treats an average of 28 MGD of wastewater. CWW’s water treatment capacity is 90 million gallons a day (MGD) with average daily usage at 32 MGD. The base contributes more than $750 million to the area’s economy each year, and that number will surpass $1 billion with the relocation of the Army’s Armor Training School from Fort Knox, Ky., to Fort Benning.įounded in 1902, CWW serves more than 65,000 metered accounts within a population of 228,000. HaileyĮstablished in 1918, Fort Benning employs roughly 35,000 military and civilian personnel, making it the largest employer in Columbus. “ Anytime we have an opportunity to use ductile iron pipe, we use AMERICAN.” Mike Rast, Project Manager for Contractor W.L. Fort Benning’s water and wastewater systems were subsequently connected with CWW’s, and several large upgrades were begun. The Columbus Water Works (CWW) and Fort Benning signed an agreement in 2004 calling for CWW to provide the military base water and wastewater services for 50 years. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |