The final design for the aboveground, three-mile pipeline from Walnut Point State Park to Oakland Lake was based on these requirements:

• Flows of 700 gpm.

• Working pressure of 37 psi.

• Static head of 80 feet.

In addition:

• The design specified two 6-inch diesel pumps, each rated at 1,100 gpm capacity under the actual operating conditions. ISCO provided fittings to mate the HDPE pipe to the pumps, as well as several special fittings.

• One pump operated at a time. The second pump served as backup during maintenance and emergency pumping, if necessary.

• The irregular terrain for the first 3,800 feet of the alignment dictated a 100-foot radius bend. The line wound along a park road, ran through two culverts, and 600 feet through timber. Using the 10-inch HDPE pipe for this run met the need.

• For the 7,900-foot straight run, crews placed 10-inch aluminum irrigation pipe along the boundaries of farm fields. ISCO provided fittings to join the aluminum and HDPE sections.

• The final 3,900-foot stretch used 8-inch HDPE pipe to curve along the farm fields, across waterways, and through residential yards before ending in Lake Oakland. Again, HDPE easily met the requirements of this winding alignment.

“Even in cold temperatures and rough terrain, the HDPE could be worked in the field,” says Burke. Its characteristic flexibility, strength, and natural abrasion resistance withstood the wear and tear of site-specific demands. “No doubt about it – HDPE worked great in these problem areas,” he says.

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