Owner:

City of Cocoa, Fla.

Project Summary:

After several years of planning and design, the city of Cocoa, Fla., began construction in January 2008 on a 42-inch water transmission main to expand service, increase reliability and strengthen system pressures to enhance water flow for fire protection. Plans for the line were challenging: The South Mainland Water Transmission Main was to run down a power easement, through a wetland (with oyster beds) during hurricane season, and through micro-tunnels under a major interstate below sea level – among other demanding situations.

The owner saw an opportunity to make a smart choice that would simplify valve installation, reduce labor costs and minimize the potential for leaks during in-situ testing and throughout service life. Instead of a mechanical joint with set-screw style restrainers, the owner chose a boltless, restrained joint design – the AMERICAN Series 2500 Resilient Wedge Gate Valve with Flex-Ring ends and Bevel Gear Actuator.

Flex-Ring was the same joint used on the transmission main. The valve’s restraining components are tucked safely inside the bell. In addition, the Flex-Ring design allows for twice the deflection of traditional mechanical joint designs, important to have in the case of shifting soil conditions.

The Cocoa project utilized six 42″ AMERICAN Series 2500 valves in addition to AMERICAN’s ductile iron pipe and fittings. The result was a 6.8-mile-long pipeline that passed hydrostatic testing on the first attempt and, in January 2010, was placed into service. System pressures downstream of the new pipeline have improved from 46 psi to 57 psi. 

“The experience with AMERICAN on this project, to me, was excellent.”

Key Players:

The city of Cocoa is 50 miles east of Orlando, encompasses 8.3 square miles and has more than 16,000 residents. The city’s water utility covers the central portion of Brevard County, servicing more than 68,000 households and distributing 28 million gallons of water daily. CH2M Hill (Orlando) served as engineer; GlobeTec Construction LLC (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) was the pipe installer.

What They Said:

“This was an interesting project because it had micro-tunneling, aerial crossings, wetlands . . . some of everything. The use of the gate valves definitely helped. We installed each gate valve in half the time it would have taken for a mechanical joint valve. And the experience with AMERICAN on this project, to me, was excellent. From negotiations to purchasing the materials to working with the person scheduling deliveries, it all worked out great.” – Alex Carstens, manager of the Pipeline Division, GlobeTec Construction

What They Used:

Installed on the project were six 42″ Series 2500 Resilient Wedge Gate Valves with Flex-Ring ends and Bevel Gear Actuator; 16,400 feet of 42″ Fastite Joint Ductile Iron Pipe; 19,600 feet of 42″ Flex-Ring Joint Ductile Iron Pipe; forty 42″ Flex-Ring Joint Fittings; and fifteen 42″ Mechanical Joint Fittings.