| In 1992, the Benton and Washington County Rural Development Authorities in the corner of Northwest Arkansas agreed on a cooperative effort called the "Two-Ton Water Project," which derives its name from the last syllable of the two counties it serves.
"The concept for the project is that the western, rural portions of those counties, as well as northeastern Benton County, must look to a regional water supply system to keep their costs down and to meet the present standards for potable water," said Bob Moore, coordinator of the Benton/Washington County Water Association. The $32-million Two-Ton Water Project will draw water from Beaver Lake, which was created by damming the White River near Eureka Springs. Around 1960, the pursuit of a similar cooperative effort by leaders in Benton and Washington counties resulted in the Beaver Water District, the first entity to take water out of Beaver Lake for domestic purposes. The Beaver Water District serves communities along the U.S. Highway 71 corridor in eastern Benton and Washington counties. Communities along State Highway 59 corridor turned down the chance to be part of the Beaver Water District when it was formed almost 40 years ago. By 1990, however, increased economic growth and population in the western portion of both counties, coupled with increasingly stringent water quality standards, caused a rethinking of the water situation in those communities. The result: the creation five years ago of the Two-Ton Water Project, the fourth public utility to draw water from Beaver Lake. Entities to be served by the Two-Ton project include the Benton County Rural Development Authority, Benton County Water District Number 1, the Washington County Rural Development Authority, and the cities of Centerton, Decatur, Gentry, Gravette, Lincoln, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove. Westville, Oklahoma, also will be served in the initial connections. Garfield, Gateway and Lost Bridge Village in northeast Benton County will be served in future connections. The Two-Ton project's intake structure is near Ventris Point, with the system's water treatment plant near Avoca. Transmission and connector piping stretches some 65 miles from the water treatment plant to the terminus near Prairie Grove. American Cast Iron Pipe Company supplied more than 25 miles of ductile iron piping for the job. S&J Construction of Jacksonville, Arkansas, installed more than 18 miles of AMERICAN Fastite® in 14-, 16-, 18- and 24-inch diameters. AMERICAN Fast-Grip® gaskets were used on a portion of the job. "Coordinating three construction crews and the unloading and stringing of pipe were our biggest challenges," said Jerry Smith, S&J's owner and president. "Our other biggest challenge was creating and maintaining a rapport with the land owners where the pipelines crossed." "AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe was particularly beneficial on this project because of the 20-foot lengths of pipe, which means less stringing, unloading and laying. Also, the restrained joint pipe fit together very easily." Smith also rated AMERICAN high in the area of customer service. "The pipe was delivered on time, and special fittings were made expediently," he said. "Also, the truckers made every effort to get the pipe where we needed it. AMERICAN personnel followed up on a weekly basis to see how the job was progressing and to see if deliveries were on time. We've been working with AMERICAN for the past eight years, and we've found that their sales personnel have been very reliable to work with." GC Construction of Blue Springs, Missouri, was awarded the contract for 7.6 miles of 36" AMERICAN Fastite®. In very rough terrain, the landscape forced the company to build roads for pipe delivery and installation. A lack of easements necessitated a last-minute change in the order of GC's pipe laying, but "AMERICAN was able to work around the change," said GC Construction's Norm Collins. "Pipe delivery was very good. We received as many as 20 truck-loads per day." Like S&J's Smith, GC's Collins said AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe offered installation advantages. "AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe is lighter than concrete, and that has made it easier for loaders to go up and down hills," Collins said. "And the amount of allowable deflection in the ductile iron pipe bells helped us go up and down most of the hills without having to use fittings." Township Builders of Little Rock, Arkansas, installed AMERICAN Fastite® Ductile Iron pipe and flanged pipe and fittings for the water pump station. Begun in 1996, the Two-Ton project is due for completion in the first quarter of 1998. |
On S&J Construction's portion of the project, an installation crew works around an existing utility to install AMERICAN Fastite® pipe. In all, S&J installed more than 18 miles of American Fastite®, much of it with Fast-Grip® gaskets. |
Rough terrain was one of GC Construction's bigger challenges on the Two-Ton Project. Field adaptability was made possible by AMERICAN 36-inch Field Flex-Ring® restrained joint pipe, which saved the Missouri contractor time and money on tough installations such as this one. |
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This photo provides a good example of how AMERICAN Fastite® pipe's deflection capabilities can be utilized in lieu of bends. |
| Owner: | Benton/ Washington County Water Association, Gravette, Arkansas |
| Project: | Two-Ton Water Transmission Mains and Pump Station |
| Engineer: | Engineering Services, Inc., Springdale, Arkansas |
| Contractors: | GC Construction, Blue Springs, Missouri (Contract Section VII), S&J Construction, Jacksonville, Arkansas (Contract Sections VI and IX), and Township Builders, Little Rock, Arkansas (Contract Section IV) |
| Material: | Contract Section VII: 40,140 feet of 36" Fastite® and Flex-Ring®; Contract Section VI: 29,700 feet of 16" Fastite® and 14,460 feet of 14" Fastite®; Contract Section IX: 37,500 feet of 24" Fastite® with Fast-Grip® gaskets and 13,560 feet of 18" Fastite®; Contract Section IV: included AMERICAN Fastite® and flanged ductile iron pipe and fittings for a water pump station |
| Sales Engineer: | Michael D. Williams |
| Customer Service Representative: | Todd Whisenhunt |
© 1997 American Cast Iron Pipe Co.
