Major Water System is Developed in West Central Texas
Outside of the growing metropolis of the Fort Worth and Dallas area, about 75 miles west, is a picturesque area, rich with lush foliage, friendly wildlife and refreshing waters. This 17,000-acre oasis is Possum Kingdom Lake. It is home to an assortment of fish and other vegetation, and serves as a primary site for swimming, boating and water skiing.
In addition to it being a recreational hub, with an average of more than 550,000 acre-feet of water, area residents are now relying on the lake for a new distribution system to satisfy the growing need for potable water.
The Possum Kingdom Water Supply Corporation is a non-profit organization that has been working toward providing potable water service for residents in the area since 1992. They are currently in the third phase of a five-phase project to construct a new 1 million gallon-per-day water treatment facility and a 100-mile distribution system. Phase three of the project is expected to be complete by November 2003.
“Our challenge is to provide a safe, dependable water supply at a reasonable cost,” says John Wendele, a representative at the water supply corporation.
The entire project will cost $13.3 million and will be funded by state and federal loans and grants.
Possum Kingdom Lake’s history dates back to the early 1940s, when President Franklin Roosevelt and U.S. Senator Morris Sheppard determined that the future growth and economic prosperity of the area would need an adequate and dependable water supply. In 1942, federal funding was allocated to dam the Brazos River at Possum Kingdom to form the lake.
The citizens of West Central Texas depend on this water supply as much as anyone else in the state, especially as the population continues to grow. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission estimates that by the year 2050, 38 percent of the state’s population will not have enough water to meet the anticipated demand. That’s why it is so important for growing counties like Palo Pinto and others to conserve water and to build the additional, necessary resources.
The Brazos River Authority continues to work with communities in the area to satisfy the growing need for water. The authority was the first state agency created, in 1929, to advance and administer water resources. It currently sells 180,000 acre-feet of water, with another 50,000 acre-feet still available for sale under the legislation provided by the state of Texas.
Working together with the Possum Kingdom Water Supply Corporation, Bowles Construction and Hawkeye Underground, Inc., were hired to construct the trenches for the new water system.
“We have more than 1650 members that will be connected during phases one through three, and a total of 2000 at the completion of phase five,” Wendele says. “We expect to see significant growth from both new residents and non-members who want to join the organization.”
Bowles Construction, working primarily in North Texas, has been in business for 30 years, providing a multitude of water, sewer, gas and fiber-optic installations in that time. “We’ve installed thousands of miles of water lines,” says Andy Bowles, vice president of Bowles Construction.
Hawkeye Construction is also a Texas-based company that was started in 1998. The company focuses on three popular types of installation in Texas, according to Rodney Lehman, vice president: fiber optic, gas and water.
As the trenches are dug, other portions of the supply system are also undergoing construction. “The new water facility, distribution system, pump system and storage tanks are being constructed in one fell swoop,” Bowles says.
Bowles and his crew, along with Hawkeye, have been working at the site for approximately one month. Things have been progressing well. The crew has to deal with an assortment of soil conditions in the working area. “It’s a challenging project because there is so much rock out here,” Bowles says.
Bowles estimates that approximately 70 percent of the job involves trenching through the tough Texas rock. Soil conditions include: clay, limestone, cobblestone, granite and sandstone.
The entire job is projected to take one year to complete, barring any unforeseen problems or conditions that would cause a delay. “We have one year, and it will take the whole year to finish,” Bowles says. “It’s about 100 miles of pipeline, and there’s about 2000 water service connections on it.”
Bowles and Hawkeye are both using Vermeer V8550 rubber tire trenchers — among others — at the site to dig the new trenches for the water distribution installation. Hawkeye has also relied on a Vermeer V120 rubber tire trencher equipped with a powerful rocksaw, as well as a Vermeer T755 track trencher.
“We relied on the T755 track trencher and our rubber tire trencher to dig the trenches through the tough limestone, which is prevalent in the entire area,” Bowles says. “We depended on the track trencher to get through the hard rock, and thus far, it’s paid off for us. The trenchers are a good fit for this type of work because of the power they offer, and because they can dig in these soil conditions.”
“Because of the rock, there’s no way you could dig with an excavator,” Bowles says. “This type of rock has to be sawed.”
“Anywhere from 2-inch to 16-inch pipe is being installed on most parts of the site,” Bowles says. “We have a bunch of different-sized trenchers working at the site because it will take a couple different sizes to get the job done.” In other areas, trenches of 48 inches are needed, which call for larger machines.
In addition to his trenchers, Bowles supplements his trench installation projects with horizontal directional drills (HDD) to bore under some of the roads where traditional trenching methods are impossible.
One of the challenges that presented itself to the crew is the amount of foliage along the small park roads surrounding the lake. Much of the path near the trenching area is covered in heavy brush, as well as cedar and mesquite trees, and these had to be removed before the trenchers could move forward. Bowles solved this with the purchase of a Vermeer BC1000XL brush chipper to help clear the way. The crew relies heavily on the machine to support the removal efforts.
“It made the most sense to clear the brush and trees ourselves,” Bowles says. “That way, we could clear as we went and not have to wait for it to get done or have someone working too far ahead of us.”
With the wildlife and conservation efforts in mind, the Possum Kingdom Water Supply Corporation will certainly create a useable and reliable water distribution system for future development in the area. While Texans continue to look for additional water resources, the corporation is taking the initiative to provide potable water for local residents for years to come.
In addition to it being a recreational hub, with an average of more than 550,000 acre-feet of water, area residents are now relying on the lake for a new distribution system to satisfy the growing need for potable water.
The Possum Kingdom Water Supply Corporation is a non-profit organization that has been working toward providing potable water service for residents in the area since 1992. They are currently in the third phase of a five-phase project to construct a new 1 million gallon-per-day water treatment facility and a 100-mile distribution system. Phase three of the project is expected to be complete by November 2003.
“Our challenge is to provide a safe, dependable water supply at a reasonable cost,” says John Wendele, a representative at the water supply corporation.
The entire project will cost $13.3 million and will be funded by state and federal loans and grants.
Possum Kingdom Lake’s history dates back to the early 1940s, when President Franklin Roosevelt and U.S. Senator Morris Sheppard determined that the future growth and economic prosperity of the area would need an adequate and dependable water supply. In 1942, federal funding was allocated to dam the Brazos River at Possum Kingdom to form the lake.
The citizens of West Central Texas depend on this water supply as much as anyone else in the state, especially as the population continues to grow. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission estimates that by the year 2050, 38 percent of the state’s population will not have enough water to meet the anticipated demand. That’s why it is so important for growing counties like Palo Pinto and others to conserve water and to build the additional, necessary resources.
The Brazos River Authority continues to work with communities in the area to satisfy the growing need for water. The authority was the first state agency created, in 1929, to advance and administer water resources. It currently sells 180,000 acre-feet of water, with another 50,000 acre-feet still available for sale under the legislation provided by the state of Texas.
Working together with the Possum Kingdom Water Supply Corporation, Bowles Construction and Hawkeye Underground, Inc., were hired to construct the trenches for the new water system.
“We have more than 1650 members that will be connected during phases one through three, and a total of 2000 at the completion of phase five,” Wendele says. “We expect to see significant growth from both new residents and non-members who want to join the organization.”
Bowles Construction, working primarily in North Texas, has been in business for 30 years, providing a multitude of water, sewer, gas and fiber-optic installations in that time. “We’ve installed thousands of miles of water lines,” says Andy Bowles, vice president of Bowles Construction.
Hawkeye Construction is also a Texas-based company that was started in 1998. The company focuses on three popular types of installation in Texas, according to Rodney Lehman, vice president: fiber optic, gas and water.
As the trenches are dug, other portions of the supply system are also undergoing construction. “The new water facility, distribution system, pump system and storage tanks are being constructed in one fell swoop,” Bowles says.
Bowles and his crew, along with Hawkeye, have been working at the site for approximately one month. Things have been progressing well. The crew has to deal with an assortment of soil conditions in the working area. “It’s a challenging project because there is so much rock out here,” Bowles says.
Bowles estimates that approximately 70 percent of the job involves trenching through the tough Texas rock. Soil conditions include: clay, limestone, cobblestone, granite and sandstone.
The entire job is projected to take one year to complete, barring any unforeseen problems or conditions that would cause a delay. “We have one year, and it will take the whole year to finish,” Bowles says. “It’s about 100 miles of pipeline, and there’s about 2000 water service connections on it.”
Bowles and Hawkeye are both using Vermeer V8550 rubber tire trenchers — among others — at the site to dig the new trenches for the water distribution installation. Hawkeye has also relied on a Vermeer V120 rubber tire trencher equipped with a powerful rocksaw, as well as a Vermeer T755 track trencher.
“We relied on the T755 track trencher and our rubber tire trencher to dig the trenches through the tough limestone, which is prevalent in the entire area,” Bowles says. “We depended on the track trencher to get through the hard rock, and thus far, it’s paid off for us. The trenchers are a good fit for this type of work because of the power they offer, and because they can dig in these soil conditions.”
“Because of the rock, there’s no way you could dig with an excavator,” Bowles says. “This type of rock has to be sawed.”
“Anywhere from 2-inch to 16-inch pipe is being installed on most parts of the site,” Bowles says. “We have a bunch of different-sized trenchers working at the site because it will take a couple different sizes to get the job done.” In other areas, trenches of 48 inches are needed, which call for larger machines.
In addition to his trenchers, Bowles supplements his trench installation projects with horizontal directional drills (HDD) to bore under some of the roads where traditional trenching methods are impossible.
One of the challenges that presented itself to the crew is the amount of foliage along the small park roads surrounding the lake. Much of the path near the trenching area is covered in heavy brush, as well as cedar and mesquite trees, and these had to be removed before the trenchers could move forward. Bowles solved this with the purchase of a Vermeer BC1000XL brush chipper to help clear the way. The crew relies heavily on the machine to support the removal efforts.
“It made the most sense to clear the brush and trees ourselves,” Bowles says. “That way, we could clear as we went and not have to wait for it to get done or have someone working too far ahead of us.”
With the wildlife and conservation efforts in mind, the Possum Kingdom Water Supply Corporation will certainly create a useable and reliable water distribution system for future development in the area. While Texans continue to look for additional water resources, the corporation is taking the initiative to provide potable water for local residents for years to come.
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