| Aside from its great fishing, there are several ways that Ketchikan, Alaska, differs from lower-48 American cities. For instance, Ketchikan is accessible only by air or water, so seaplanes tied to docks are a common sight there. So are cruise ships. An excursion destination since the 1880s, the city is known as “Alaska’s First City” because it is the first Alaskan port-of-call for northbound ships. Go to Ketchikan, and you’ll also see colorful totem poles, a legacy of the state’s Native Americans.
Another way Ketchikan is different is that it is not connected to an electrical grid, so all its energy is generated locally either through hydropower or standby diesel generators. Its watershed – which receives a whopping 154 inches of rain a year – is located in a natural bowl above the community and includes lakes, dams, tunnels, and penstocks fed by gravity. This system of hydroelectric developments is operated by the Ketchikan Public Utilities (KPU). One of the KPU’s hydro projects, the Ketchikan Lakes Project, is also the sole source of municipal water for this town of 8,263. Reflecting the frontier nature of the area, two parallel 54-inch penstocks in the water system that connect Ketchikan Lake and Fawn Lake were both originally constructed from treated wood staves. The first of the wooden penstocks was replaced in 1983. In 1997, as the second wooden penstock reached the end of its usable life, Ketchikan investigated life cycle costs of replacement materials, including ductile iron, steel, concrete, HDPE, and fiberglass. AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe was selected for the pipe-on-piers project. “The performance of ductile iron pipe over a long service life is expected to be superior to other materials,” said George Lybrand, president of Southeast Engineering, contractor for the penstock replacement. “Particularly since this penstock is above ground, it should provide years of reliable service in all weather conditions without any maintenance. “The ease of installation was another consideration the KPU reviewed before selecting AMERICAN pipe,” Lybrand said. “And KPU looked at things like the possibility of doing repairs because of vandalism. We think ductile iron pipe would be easier to work with if situations like that arose.” Orders for 1,400 feet of 54-inch AMERICAN Fastite ® and approximately 400 feet of flanged pipe and fittings were placed in March 1997. All of the pipe was delivered to Seattle, where it could be loaded onto a Ketchikan-bound barge at the same time. AMERICAN also supplied assembly tools for the job. Construction began in September 1997 and was completed in November of that year. The $1.2 million project was made difficult by several logistical factors, but perhaps the most anxiety was encountered in a tunnel at Fawn Lake where the two 54-inch penstocks come together before entering the lake. It was necessary to plug the tunnel entrance, drain the tunnel, and replace a leaking valve before the wooden penstock could be replaced. Performing these tasks required that Fawn Lake and Ketchikan Lake be totally separated for a day. It was crucial that work in the tunnel proceed without interruption; otherwise Fawn Lake – which is extremely small – would have drained itself. That, in turn, would have left the community with seriously low – and continually falling – water reserves. Work in the tunnel, however, was completed during a grueling 19-hour period, and Southeast Engineering then took advantage of a remarkably dry October to make steady progress installing new sections of the ductile iron penstock. Said Lybrand: “I was really pleased with how easy it was to work with the AMERICAN pipe. Because this was a pipe-on-piers job, it required technical layout precision, and the AMERICAN piping provided more than enough field adaptability. It was easily cut to length, and it has great joint flexibility. If I had it to do over again, I would not have used the 11 1/4° bends. I would have made more of the turns by deflecting the pipe joints. “The push-on joints made things easy,” Lybrand said. “The work done by AMERICAN’s Customer Service staff in Birmingham was excellent. I found that everyone I contacted at AMERICAN was helpful and easy to work with. And the work of John Kleinegger, the WPU water superintendent, and Frank Garrison, a WPU inspector on this project, made this an excellent job.” |
Cruise ships have long been a part of the scene in the harbor at Ketchikan, Alaska. [PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA TOURISM COUNCIL; JOHN HYDE, PHOTOGRAPHER]
Seaplanes also are a common sight since the city is not accessible by road.
Through the woods and around the bend...some of the deflection capabilities of AMERICAN Fastite ® are seen in this shot of the pipe-on-piers project. [PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTHEAST ENGINEERING]
Southeast Engineering took advantage of unseasonably dry weather last fall to complete the installation of AMERICAN piping (left side of parallel lines) for the Ketchikan Lakes Penstock Replacement job. Ketchikan averages 154 inches of rain and 32 inches of snow a year. [PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTHEAST ENGINEERING] |
| Owner: | Ketchikan Public Utilities; John Kleineggar, superintendent; Frank Garrison, inspector |
| Project: | Ketchikan Lakes Penstock Replacement |
| Contractor: | Southeast Engineering, Ketchikan, Alaska |
| Material: | 1,800 feet of Fastite ® and flanged pipe and fittings |
| Sales Representative: | Patrick J. Ternan |
| Customer Service Representative: | Joy McClain |
| Drafter: | Catherine Jones |
© 1998 American Cast Iron Pipe Co.
