This area of Texas was experiencing one of the worst droughts it had ever seen. The T-Bar Well Field water project was proposed, took fewer than 12 months to complete and is estimated to provide the Midland area with water for more than 40 years. The project has won multiple awards. It came about when the area was experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history while the city was experiencing rapid growth in population. Parkhill was part of the team.
“The City was relying on ground water like never before and they worked with knowledgeable engineers to create a new water source to keep its town moving.” – Lane Salvato, consultant with the Barry Group, LLC
The City of Midland bought the T-Bar Ranch, located over an aquifer, decades ago. Through the years, Parkhill developed studies that brought the project to fruition for the complete development and delivery of T-Bar water to the city. The project, the largest municipal project ever in Midland, took wings in 2012 with a partnership between the City and the Midland County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1. The project consisted of the following major components:
Well Fields – 42 wells (approximately 550 feet deep) located on the T-Bar Ranch in Winkler County produce up to 20 million gallons per day. Parkhill was the lead engineer for the well field design.
Well Field Collection Piping – A network of well field collection pipelines varies from 6 to 36 inches in diameter. Parkhill designed all of the well field piping, and a portion of the transmission pipeline.
Well Field Storage Reservoir – Parkhill designed all the tanks, including a 2-million-gallon, pre-stressed concrete covered ground storage reservoir.
High Service Pump Station – The four 900-horsepower, high-service vertical turbine pumps with a firm capacity of 20 million gallons per day were designed by our partners. The site work included a 12.5kV power drop to a substation transformer providing 4,160-volt and 480-volt power.
Transmission Pipeline – Parkhill designed a portion of about 60 miles of 48-inch diameter transmission pipeline that was routed from the T-Bar Ranch Well Field to the Terminal Point within the City of Midland.
Intermediate Storage Reservoir – Parkhill also designed the 5-million-gallon pre-stressed concrete-covered reservoir that is located at the highest elevation of the pipeline, 500 feet above the Well Field/High Service Pump Station. Site work included a 12.5kV power drop to a substation transformer to provide 4,160 volts of power to the site facilities.
Chlorine Feed Facility – A precast concrete chlorination building houses electrical and chlorine feed equipment, an outdoor covered storage area for ton containers, and a chlorine gas scrubber system at the intermediate storage reservoir site to provide the contact time (CT) prior to use by the City of Midland. Another firm designed these facilities.
Instrumentation, Controls, and Communications System – The complete Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, designed by our partner firm, deals with microwave radio communication towers at the High Service Pump Station, Intermediate Storage Reservoir and Terminal Facility.
Parkhill designed the electrical work for the wells, including the motor starters that power the multiple wells.
Terminal Facilities – The terminal facility, designed by a partner, features a pressure reducer/flow meter/control station. Parkhill designed the 2 MG elevated storage reservoir.
“Throughout the years, the engineer, Parkhill, has come to trust Tnemec as both a supplier and technical resource for coating needs,” recalled Lane Salvato, coating consultant with the Barry Group, LLC. “We were able to recommend low maintenance coating systems, which was a priority for everyone involved in this project.”
The T-Bar Well Field water project, including the Tank of the Year by Tnemec, has won several awards, including the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships’ 2014 Infrastructure Project Award, Design-Build Institute of America’s Merit Award, and was listed on ENR Texas and Louisiana’s 2013 Best Projects.
“We are proud of our tank and the hard work it represents,” expressed Sara Bustilloz, Public Information Officer with City of Midland. “This tank stands as a testament of a completed, very successful project.”
Credits:
Parkhill