• Project Data

Projects under Tampa Bay Water's Master Water Plan mark the first large-scale installation of AMERICAN's spiral-welded steel pipe; More than 100,000 feet of the new large-diameter product is utilized along with large quantities of AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe and fittings. Extending 250 to 3,000 feet under the entire state of Florida is a massive block of limestone and dolomite dissected by an intricate system of underground rivers and caves. An enormous source of water, this subterranean wonder is known as the Floridan Aquifer -- one of the most productive aquifers in the world. The Floridan Aquifer has for years been the major water source in the Tampa Bay area and in other cities and towns in Florida as well as parts of other southeastern states. Tampa Bay Water, a regional water wholesaler, has historically relied upon groundwater from the aquifer at 12 well fields to meet the region's drinking water needs. Generous as the Floridan Aquifer has been, however, its days as the major source of water for the Tampa Bay area are on the wane. It isn't that the aquifer is running dry. Rather, Tampa Bay Water well field areas are showing signs of environmental stress in the form of wetlands damage and low lake levels. Pulling large quantities of water from the aquifer in certain areas has contributed to those conditions. As a result, Tampa Bay Water has instituted the $609 million first phase of a master water plan aimed at protecting the environment by decreasing the area's dependence on the Floridan Aquifer. At the same time, the plan is to increase capacity from other sources to meet steadily increasing demand from the region's continuous population growth. The master water plan will cost as much as $1.1 billion through 2010, generating a net economic impact for the region of up to $569 million. It also marks a new beginning for Tampa Bay Water -- a time when new technologies for water production become part of the mainstream. Tampa Bay Water wholesales water to Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough counties and to the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and New Port Richey. The wholesaler averages 190 MGD for public supply in the region from 12 well fields. As a first step in its master water plan, Tampa Bay Water's board immediately reduced its permitted groundwater capacity at 11 of the 12 well fields from 192 to 158 MGD. On top of that, permitted groundwater capacity is to be reduced to 90 MGD by 2008 -- which will be a 50 percent decrease for the 10 years following Tampa Bay Water's formation in 1998. Under the master water plan, surface water will be the major source for offsetting reduced capacity at 11 of the 12 well fields from the Floridan Aquifer. Plan highlights include: Surface water will be drawn from the Hillsborough and Alafia rivers and a flood control facility called the Tampa Bypass Canal. Water will be withdrawn from these sources only after certain minimum flows are achieved in each respective source. The enchanced surface water system is expected to produce approximately 60 MGD on a long-term average basis. A 15 billion gallon reservoir -- the largest in Florida -- also has been proposed to increase reserve capacity. Also under construction per the master water plan are a new 66-MGD surface water treatment plant and a 9-MGD groundwater treatment plant. Both facilities are located on a central 433-acre site and are expected to be in operation during 2002. A 25-MGD desalination plant, expected to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere, is scheduled for completion at the end of 2002. It will supply 10 percent of the region's overall supply by 2008. It can be expanded to 35 MGD if necessary. In terms of efficiently producing water at the lowest price possible, the desalination plant will be in a class of its own. It will produce the world's lowest-cost desalinated water. Next up for Tampa Bay Water is siting and design for another 25-MGD desalination plant. Part of the master water plan includes development of a limited amount of additional groundwater from five wells in the Brandon area that will be pumped in a way that minimizes environmental impact. Projects under way have required more than 40 miles of new water pipelines to distribute water throughout Tampa Bay Water's system. These projects include large quantities of 72- and 84-inch-diameter AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe. The pipe is manufactured by American SpiralWeld Pipe Company, LLC, a subsidiary of American Cast Iron Pipe Company that began operations in late 1999 in Columbia, South Carolina. AMERICAN also supplied ductile iron pipe in diameters through 64 inches for three of the jobs including more than 1,350 tons of product for the treatment plants. For AMERICAN, the introduction of spiral-welded steel pipe represents another major breakthrough. Formed in 1905, the company has generated several major technological innovations, including the development and first large-scale manufacturing of ductile iron pipe for water and wastewater systems. Since the mid-1960s AMERICAN has manufactured electric-resistant steel pipe up to 24 inches in diameter for the oil and gas industries. The addition of large-diameter spiral-welded steel pipe to its line allows AMERICAN to better serve the needs of the water and wastewater industries as well as to supply pipe for certain power industry applications: penstocks and large cooling lines, for example. "The addition of our spiral-welded steel pipe line makes us more of a one-stop shop," said Mike O'Brien, AMERICAN's vice president of sales. "To hear that we're in the large-diameter steel pipe business might sound a bit strange to some people right now," O'Brien said. "But people are getting used to it. We've spent a lot of time and effort shaping our spiral-welded pipe plant into a cutting-edge facility." "We're becoming known as a big-time supplier for both ductile iron and large-diameter steel pipe -- not to mention the smaller-diameter, electric-resistant steel pipe we have sold for almost 40 years." Major master plan projects for which AMERICAN Ductile Iron and/or spiral-welded steel pipe were used include: The North-Central Hillsborough Intertie is a 14-mile, 84-inch-diameter transmission main that spans both urban and rural areas. The intertie will carry up to 100 MGD of treated water from the proposed water treatment facilities to Tampa Bay Water's existing service area. The cost of the facility will be about $50 million. Much of the North-Central Hillsborough Intertie's route is in the Tampa Bypass Canal. The route also includes wetlands, endangered species of fauna, and several archeological sites, and it is adjacent to local airport runways. The project includes trenchless technology for 13 tunnels allowing for installation under the Hillsborough River, two interstate highways, nine other highways and a railway line. An elevated, 400-foot bridge will cross the Tampa Bypass Canal. Roughly 90 percent of the pipeline is being installed in easements. Challenges engineers had to overcome during the design of this pipeline were made more pressing by a fast-track schedule and the dependency of other Tampa Bay Water master water plan projects on this particular intertie. Another extremely challenging task was defining the exact alignment of the pipeline within the Tampa Bypass Canal and obtaining U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval. "The design requirements for pipe on this project were very demanding," said Nicholas Houmis of engineer Greeley and Hansen in Tampa. "Internal pressure requirements are high -- 175-psi and 275-psi surge. Depth of cover varied from 5 to more than 40 feet. Strength and toughness of steel pipe was ideal and cost effective for this large-diameter pipe and application. Longer, 50-foot pipe lengths reduced the number of field-welded joints, which reduced installation costs." Approximately 55,000 feet of 84-inch AMERICAN spiral-welded pipe were installed for this project on two contracts. Thirty-thousand feet of that were installed by John D. Stephens Inc. of Stone Mountain, Georgia, and 25,000 feet by Rockdale Pipeline of Conyers, Georgia. "AMERICAN's pipe went together really well, and the fittings and specials worked according to plan," said Mike Stephens, vice president with John D. Stephens. "AMERICAN is new to the spiral-welded steel pipe manufacturing business, but they did as well as expected. And the expectations were high." Houmis called American SpiralWeld Pipe Company's plant a "very impressive and state-of-the-art steel pipe manufacturing facility." After some minor delays at start-up, "American SpiralWeld Steel Pipe has performed well and provided exceptional steel pipe," Houmis said. "Tape coating is some of the best we've seen." The South-Central Hillsborough Intertie is a 13-mile, 72-inch pipeline connecting a pump station on the Alafia River and the reservoir to the surface water treatment plant now under construction. Water may flow in either direction -- toward the reservoir during wet periods and from the reservoir during dry periods. Like the North-Central Hillsborough Intertie, the South-Central Hillsborough Intertie includes a river crossing -- this one tunneling under the Alafia River at a depth of roughly 80 feet. Approximately 30,000 feet of AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe were installed on this project. Said Clay Tappan of engineer Camp Dresser & McKee's Tampa office: "Besides the usual challenges found on these jobs, the greatest challenge was trying to assure that Tampa Bay Water would receive good, competitive bids on the large-diameter pipe. We were concerned about the potentially limited supply of steel pipe in light of the vast scope of their program and the lack of manufacturing facilities in the region." "Construction of the AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe facility in South Carolina provided additional production capacity and made more pipe available to meet a tight construction schedule," he said. "It also resulted in a more competitive bidding environment." "American SpiralWeld Pipe has been a first-class operation from the conceptual stage all the way through the pipe delivery to the project site," Tappan said. "Their facilities are truly state-of-the-art. Several AMERICAN representatives have always been available to address any concerns along the way." The Surface Water Treatment Plant is the cornerstone of the master water plan. It will treat surface water from the reservoir, the Tampa Bypass Canal, and the Hillsborough and Alafia rivers to standards superior to current Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. The plant will utilize enhancements to traditional treatment processes for organics removal and taste and odor control. Ozone will be the primary surface water disinfectant, and diluted sodium hypochlorite and aqueous ammonia will be the secondary disinfectants. Tampa Bay Water entered into a $144 million, 15-year design-build-operate agreement with a team led by USFilter Operating Services of Houston, Texas. With that agreement, Tampa Bay Water estimates it will save $85 million over the project's life cycle. Construction costs will be roughly $85 million. The USFilter team will use a patented process that treats large flow rates when raw water quality varies -- conditions expected at the new facility. Some 660 tons of AMERICAN Fastite® , Flex-Ring® , Lok-Ring® , flanged, and mechanical joint ductile iron pipe and fittings in 4- through 64-inch diameters were required for the surface water treatment plant. The Groundwater Treatment Plant under construction will cost roughly $30 million. Groundwater contains less organic matter and requires less complicated treatment than surface water. Groundwater at the new facility will be aerated for taste and odor control and disinfected with sodium hypochlorite and aqueous ammonia. The groundwater plant will require 710 tons of AMERICAN Fastite® , Flex-Ring® , Lok-Ring® , flanged, and mechanical joint ductile iron pipe and fittings in 4- through 64-inch diameters. Some 12,000 feet of 84-inch and 3,500 feet of 72-inch AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe were also installed. The Brandon Urban Dispersed Wells is a $28 million project involving the redevelopment of a groundwater resource in the Brandon area. It will supply 6 MGD to the regional water supply system. It includes a 13-mile ductile iron transmission main ranging from 8 through 36 inches in diameter that will convey raw water from the Brandon sources to the Tampa Bay Regional Groundwater Treatment Plant. "It was extremely important for engineers to establish the exact alignment of this pipeline through the urban areas of Brandon," Greeley and Hansen's Houmis said. "About 70 percent of the pipeline will be installed in a right-of-way with the remainder in easements. Timely acquisition of permits and property rights to construct this pipeline were critical." According to Houmis, "This project's design conditions were demanding. Internal pressure requirements are high, 100-psi design and 215-psi surge pressure. Depth of cover varied from 4 to more than 20 feet. Strength and toughness of AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe was ideal and cost effective for these pipe sizes and their application. "AMERICAN's 20-foot Ductile Iron pipe lengths were ideal for installation in an urban setting and in narrow rights-of-way," Houmis said. "The use of restrained joints eliminated the need for thrust blocks. Pipe delivery was expedited so construction could begin sooner."

Installation progresses on twin 84-inch AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipelines leading to Tampa Bay Water’s new surface water treatment plant. The addition of large-diameter spiral-welded steel pipe to its line allows AMERICAN to better serve the needs of the water and wastewater industries as well as to supply pipe for certain power industry applications: penstocks and large cooling lines, for example. Tampa Bay Water’s master water plan projects include large quantities of 72- and 84-inch-diameter AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe. The pipe is manufactured by American SpiralWeld Pipe Company, LLC, a subsidiary of American Cast Iron Pipe Company that began operations in 1999 in Columbia, South Carolina. PHOTO BY BILL CARSON Workers lower a piece of AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe in a trench in a neighborhood as part of the Brandon Urban Dispersed Wells project. Some 30,000 feet of AMERICAN Fastite® and Flex-Ring® Ductile Iron pipe and fittings were used for this job. Lined up and ready, large-diameter AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe is shown prior to its installation as part of the new 25-MGD desalination plant project. The new plant, expected to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere, is scheduled for completion in late 2002. This 90° bend shows the flexibility of AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe. Four- through 64-inch AMERICAN Fastite®, Lok-Ring®, Flex-Ring®, flanged, and mechanical joint ductile iron pipe was used on the surface and groundwater treatment plants. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARNEY COMPANIES Workers direct a piece of 84-inch AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe into place. AMERICAN also supplied 72-inch spiral-welded steel pipe and ductile iron pipe for the Tampa Bay Water jobs. "American SpiralWeld Pipe has been a first-class operation from the conceptual stage all the way through the pipeline delivery to the project site," said Clay Tappan of engineer Camp Dresser & McKee's Tampa office. "Their facilities are truly state-of-the-art. Several AMERICAN representatives have always been available to address any concerns along the way."

Project Data

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