| For several years, Florence, Alabama’s wastewater system experienced inflow and infiltration problems and total suspended solids violations. After a lengthy study assessing the situation, Florence has embarked on the $53-million Cypress Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant project — the largest project of its kind ever undertaken in this northwest Alabama city of 39,000.
To eliminate concerns about total suspended solids and biological oxygen demand, the construction project is adding aeration basins, solids handling facilities (de-watering with lime stabilization), sedimentation facilities, and is rehabilitating existing sedimentation facilities. Infiltration and inflow problems are being addressed with the construction of a 40-acre lagoon that can be used to treat diluted waste as a standard aerated treatment lagoon. The lagoon can also be used for holding excess flows that can later be returned to the mechanical facility for treatment when flows are at a lower level. Also, Florence is building a new influent station for handling larger flows to prevent influent lines from becoming surcharged during peak flows. To address color and toxicity concerns, the project includes the installation of a diffuser on the outfall line to distribute and disperse effluent from the treatment plant more rapidly into the receiving stream. Work on the Cypress Creek project began in March 1998 with a contract duration of 32 months. Contractor Brasfield & Gorrie of Birmingham expects to complete the job in approximately 27 months. For a job this large and complex, Municipal Consultants’ Florence office generated an excellent design for enlarging an existing plant. As manager of Municipal Consultants’ Florence office, Robert Pride’s coordination between the owner and the contractor was excellent, according to Brasfield & Gorrie’s project managers. From a piping standpoint, the most challenging part of the job for Brasfield & Gorrie was installing a 60-inch outfall line from the treatment plant for roughly a mile to the Tennessee River. Installation of the 60-inch influent sewage line, which passes under Cypress Creek, also proved daunting. Both lines were laid in rock and both required a great deal of de-watering because of an aquifer layer on top of the bedrock that allowed water to pass from the Tennessee River and Cypress Creek into the contractor’s laying area. Another major challenge for the contractor has been construction of the influent pump station, which took place in a 35-foot hole that has required shoring and constant de-watering. More than 4 million gallons of water a day is being pumped out of this hole as construction progresses. Brasfield & Gorrie has used AMERICAN piping materials since the late 1970s, when the contractor entered the water treatment plant market. The Florence job calls for some 6 million pounds of AMERICAN products, including 5,360 feet of 60-inch Fastite ® and 1,360 feet of 60-inch Lok-Ring ®; 13,920 feet of 48-inch Fastite ® and 1,420 feet of 48-inch Lok-Ring ®; and 7,120 feet of 42-inch Fastite ® and 1,730 feet of 42-inch Lok-Ring ®. Other AMERICAN materials include more than 6,100 feet of 16- through 36-inch Fastite ®; 1,700 feet of 4- through 12-inch Mechanical Joint piping; 8,700 feet of 4- through 12-inch Flex-Ring ®; more than 8,700 feet of 4- through 12-inch Fastite ®; 4- through 60-inch fittings and 4- through 60-inch fabricated piping. "AMERICAN does an outstanding job," said Dennis Hill, Brasfield & Gorrie’s senior project manager for the Cypress Creek job. "Their ability to produce a large amount of high-quality pipe in a short time has served Brasfield & Gorrie well. Most of our treatment plant projects are bid with liquidated damages involved if we don’t meet the schedule. It’s critical that we have suppliers that can keep up with our fast pace." Brasfield & Gorrie’s Bob Lucky detailed pipe for the project in-house, coordinating the ordering of all material through AMERICAN Customer Service Representative Steve Knight. "Steve goes the extra mile to try to meet our needs and provide the pipe that we need at the time we need it," Hill said. "We’ve had great relationships with AMERICAN’s people before Steve came along, and that great relationship continues with the people we deal with today." Early during the construction project, it was discovered late one night that a steel piling had been driven through an existing influent service line. Brasfield & Gorrie’s field staff representatives contacted AMERICAN’s Birmingham headquarters and were told that sleeves and fittings required to correct the problem were on hand. The contractor picked up the materials after midnight, and the problem was corrected by the next morning. "We’ve always found AMERICAN’s people - from sales to manufacturing to shipping - to be more than willing to solve any problem we might come across," Hill said. "We make every effort to ask for reasonable delivery dates. However, as with any existing plant, conditions aren’t always what they seem. So, we’ve needed additional pipe and fittings to avoid existing pipe and unknown obstructions. AMERICAN has always cooperated fully in meeting these needs. It’s a pleasure doing business with the people at AMERICAN." Mike Doyle, manager of Florence’s Water/Wastewater Department, echoes that. "AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe assures us of reliability," Doyle said. "AMERICAN products have been used in the Florence distribution system for years and years. The company’s service and quality have been excellent."
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More than 6 million pounds of AMERICAN products were used on Florence’s Cypress Creek project, including the 60-inch pipe being installed here. "AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe assures us of reliability," said Mike Doyle, manager of the city’s Water/Wastewater Department.
Construction of the influent pump station took place in a rocky, 35-foot hole that required shoring and constant de-watering. "AMERICAN does an outstanding job," said Dennis Hill, project manager for contractor Brasfield & Gorrie. "It’s critical that we have suppliers that can keep up with our fast pace."
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| Owner: | City of Florence, Alabama |
| Project: | Cypress Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements/Expansion |
| Engineer: | Municipal Consultants, Florence, Alabama |
| Contractor: | Brasfield & Gorrie, Birmingham, Alabama |
| Material: | 6 million pounds of AMERICAN products, including 5,360 feet of 60-inch Fastite ® and 1,360 feet of 60-inch Lok-Ring ®; 13,920 feet of 48-inch Fastite ® and 1,420 feet of 48-inch Lok-Ring ®; 7,120 feet of 42-inch Fastite ® and 1,730 feet of 42-inch Lok-Ring ®. Other AMERICAN materials included more than 6,100 feet of 16- through 36-inch Fastite ®; 1,700 feet of 4- through 12-inch Mechanical Joint piping; 8,700 feet of 4- through 12-inch Flex-Ring ®; more than 8,700 feet of 4-through 12-inch Fastite ® ; 4- through 60-inch fittings and 4- through 60-inch fabricated piping |
| Sales Representative: | Bill Carter |
| Customer Service Representative: | Steve Knight |
© 1999 American Cast Iron Pipe Co.
