Written by Tommy Thomas
 One of the City of Peoria’s most viable sources for potable water has been its
groundwater. However, the State of Arizona has recognized that this source is also
depleting and it has now mandated that its cities move away from their reliance on
groundwater sources. The City of Peoria has understood the challenge of protecting and
conserving its most precious resource. The City’s 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan has
budgeted nearly 50% of its allocations to water-related projects. It has appropriated
nearly $74 million to its plan.
The City is experiencing most of its growth in its northern region. To meet
the growing service demands, a 10MG Hillside Reservoir is planned as well as the
extension of its watermain reaches. The watermains will eventually loop and network its
system with the City’s Greenway Water Plant and that of its neighboring City of
Glendale Pyramid Peak Water Treatment Plant.
In 2001, the City of Peoria began to implement the City’s Master Plan to solicit bids for
its water production, storage and delivery systems. The consulting firm of Brown and
Caldwell was retained to design the master plan system. One of the first reaches that was
advertised was for the installation of 19,980 linear feet of 30” watermain for the Pyramid
Peak Water Transmission Main. The successful low bidder, McGrand and Associates, a
Chandler-based company, named Ameron International WTG as its supplier for the
AWWA Standard, C303 Bar Wrapped Concrete Cylinder Pipe (CCP).
The Contractor began the installation of the 30” CCP in early October, 2001. Bar
Wrapped Concrete Cylinder Pipe is an engineered product. The standard unit lengths of
thirty-two feet per section reduced the number of pipeline joints that McGrand’s utility
crew had to install. Ameron’s design group not only provided full detail drawings and
calculations of the CCP pipe sections, but translated the plan and profile drawing to a
line-lay schedule.
One fitting that best illustrates the economy of design and manufacture was a crotch plate
reinforced cross with a reducing section. It was manufactured as a single unit fitting. If
it were produced by other competitive materials, this special fitting section would have
been manufactured as a three piece fitting – a cross, reducer and short.
 McGrand and Associates started its installation in a hard-pan soil called caliche. This
soil type is very hard to excavate and reduces the contractor’s production. Once the crew
got beyond this soil strata, their rates of installation nearly doubled. It also came upon
another very difficult area in which to install pipe.
Along the northern-most reach of the watermain line, the Contractor had to lay the 30”
CCP in a very narrow trench. It had less than one foot of clearance on each side of the
pipe wall. The 30” line had to be installed between two fiber optic and cable lines. The
joints had to be opened to accommodate line changes due to the utility interference. The
Contractor had to be extremely cautious during trench excavation because to severe one
or both of these lines can be financially devastating. McGrand was successful in
negotiating the pipeline installation between these well-marked and surveyed utilities.
Brown and Caldwell Engineering and the City of Peoria are very satisfied with the
pipeline installation and the quality of the AWWA C303 Bar Wrapped Concrete Cylinder
Pipe. Ameron International WTG is very pleased with the success of the contract, the
outstanding performance of its manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona and the
continued success of its product lines in the potable water industry.
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