AMERICAN Pipe Used for Loudoun Water’s Innovative Potomac Water Supply Program

AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe is being used for the pump station, treatment plant and finished water mains.

Loudoun Water, a water utility serving customers in Loudoun County, Virginia, recently undertook an innovative, green approach to supplying water in the face of game-changing growth and development.

Located 25 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., Loudoun County was first settled by colonists beginning around 1720, but remained largely unchanged for more than 200 years. The population there, for example, still stood at a sparse 24,459 as late as 1960.

But construction of Dulles International Airport and subsequent development in the eastern part of the county drove the population to more than 363,000, and it’s expected to hit 413,000 in 2020. From 2000-2010, Loudoun County’s growth ranked fifth nationally and second among counties with a population of more than 100,000.

Created in 1959, Loudoun Water provides public water and sewer service for county residents who live outside the county’s incorporated towns. The utility forecasts that its customers will require up to 90 million gallons of water per day by 2040, almost double the current level.

Such expectations prompted Loudoun Water’s Potomac Water Supply Program, a cutting-edge plan to ensure a safe, sustainable water supply well into the future. In addition to a new pump station and water treatment plant, highlights of the $400-million program include a “water banking” system in which excess water will be stored in retired quarries.

“Our assigned team of professionals at AMERICAN, including those in Customer Service, has been outstanding, from Sales to detailing to processing orders and coordinating deliveries. Their ability to adapt to the ever-changing construction activities and deliver critical components in a timely manner has been a real asset.”
Tim Smith, senior project engineer for PC Construction

AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company is supplying some 27,000 feet of 36- to 48-inch pipe for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2017. That includes five miles of AMERICAN 42-inch spiral-welded steel pipe for a raw water transmission main and AMERICAN ductile iron pipe in various sizes for the pump station and treatment plant, along with roughly 1,000 feet for finished 42-inch water mains.

Five miles of 42-inch spiral-welded steel pipe is being used for a raw water transmission main.

The pipelines will be installed along existing utility corridors, minimizing the impact on land and resources. In addition, the pipeline design allows for an increase in capacity in order to meet the future demand of a growing community.

“AMERICAN, and in particular Raj Arora, have been very responsive to issues that have come up during construction,” said Nicolle Boulay, program manager with Loudoun Water. “We are very pleased with the service provided to date.”

The new pump station will draw raw water from the Potomac River, which forms part of the county’s northern border. Built on a bluff, the pump station required construction of a 100-foot-deep shaft and 200-foot tunnel to the Potomac. Following the environmentally sensitive direction of the entire program, the new pump station resembles a residential building and is essentially out of public view, operating virtually noise free.

Storing excess water from the Potomac in quarries will give Loudoun Water the flexibility to minimize its withdrawals from the river during periods of drought or water flow emergencies. That, in turn, will help protect the river flow and ecosystems impacted by it. This quarry-based storage system will allow Loudoun Water to store more than 8 billion gallons of raw water.

Water purification will take place at the state-of-the-art Trap Rock Water Treatment Facility, which sits on 12 acres of a 50-acre tract. Finished water mains will exit the plant to connections east and west of the facility.

Except for the land designated for the new plant, the rest of that property will be left in its natural state and protected from future development. The plant’s Facilities Support Building is expected to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification.

PC Construction, headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, is the contractor for the pump station, treatment plant and finished water line. National water infrastructure contractor Garney Construction with a regional office in Chantilly, Virginia, is serving as the contractor for the five-mile raw water transmission main. Both contractors have strong relationships with AMERICAN. Engineering services for the Potomac Water Supply Program include: Arcadis for raw water intake and Potomac raw water pumping station; CDM Smith for Trap Rock Water Treatment Facility; and Dewberry for raw water transmission.

According to Tim Smith, senior project engineer for PC Construction, “We have a long history with AMERICAN because of the outstanding service and support they’ve provided and continue to provide. It’s a good feeling being on somewhat of a personal level with those you’ve had dealings with for years. Even though most of us have only talked over the phone and never had the pleasure of meeting in person, you still develop a professional relationship along the way.

“Our assigned team of professionals at AMERICAN, including those in Customer Service, has been outstanding, from Sales to detailing to processing orders and coordinating deliveries. Their ability to adapt to the ever-changing construction activities and deliver critical components in a timely manner has been a real asset.”

Sam Flowers, project manager with Garney Construction, cites a strong “team mentality” with AMERICAN. “We appreciate AMERICAN’s ability to understand constructability and scheduling constraints and their willingness/ability to adapt as needed. In addition, their technical knowledge and support is unsurpassed.”

Adds Garney superintendent Will Kennedy, “AMERICAN’s service and support with boots on the ground as requested or required has been second-to-none. Response to any question or concern has been very timely.”

An overhead view of the new water treatment facility. Loudoun Water estimates its customers will need up to 90 million gallons of water per day by 2040, almost double the current level.