AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe Used in Northwest Missouri’s New Regional Water Authority

What began as a lofty idea will soon become a reality as a new regional water authority is established in Northwest Missouri. The Great Northwest Wholesale Water Commission will supply water to more than 11,000 people in rural areas of Cameron and Maysville, Missouri, with the capability to expand to other communities in the future.

“Northwest Missouri’s water supply suffers significantly during times of drought, and the impacts are felt heavily by the community,” said BRB Contractors Project Manager Dan Shively. “This project ensures the residents of Cameron and Maysville will have access to reliable, affordable and clean drinking water at all times.”

The estimated $35 million Great Northwest Wholesale Water Commission project includes the installation of 36 miles of water transmission mains from St. Joseph to Cameron, booster pump facilities and two storage tanks. The commission will purchase treated water from Missouri American Water in St. Joseph to provide to its member communities.

BRB Contractors is the general contractor and installed the estimated 145,000 feet of 16- and 18-inch AMERICAN Fastite and Flex-Ring ductile iron pipe. “Ductile iron pipe was selected due to its longevity,” Shively said. “In addition to its life span, ductile iron was chosen because of the procurement lead time versus other products.”

CDM Smith is the engineer for this project and began design work in September 2015. BRB Contractors was awarded the project in March 2022 and received a notice to proceed in August 2022. Submittal work and material procurement began at this time, and construction started in October 2022. The project is estimated to be completed in mid-2025.

“AMERICAN was a great supplier,” Shively said. “Chuck Solomon [AMERICAN sales engineer] worked closely with our estimator in the beginning and nailed down exactly what was needed for this project, ensuring things ran smoothly.”

According to Shively, one of the biggest challenges with this project was dealing with groundwater daily. “This location stays wet and is known for flooding,” he said. “Aboveground, the alignment looks great, but once you break ground, it reveals another story. Another hurdle we had to work around was the multiple water force mains for other districts that were running parallel to our alignment.”

Solomon said, “With varying and sometimes unexpected site conditions, ductile iron pipe provided the flexibility needed. It was the ideal product for this type of installation.”

The Great Northwest Wholesale Water Commission project is being funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program in Missouri, which provides rural areas with funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems as well as for wastewater systems.