Production of Oklahoma City’s New Atoka Pipeline To Begin In 2020
10,000 pieces of 72” steel pipe to deliver water to more than 1.4 million people in central Oklahoma
California-based Thompson Pipe Group is scheduled to manufacture the first piece of the second Atoka pipeline early next year; the line will run parallel to the current 60-inch line that was completed in 1962. The pipeline will transport raw water from Lake Atoka in southeast Oklahoma to Lake Stanley Draper in Oklahoma City, where it will enter the City’s system for treatment and delivery to more than 1.4 million people in central Oklahoma.
Per the contract, Thompson will provide more than 10,000 pieces of 72-inch polyethylene-coated and cement-mortar lined steel pipe for the historic project. Thompson Pipe Group will manufacture the pipe in Grand Prairie, Texas. After a rigorous bidding and evaluation process Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust (OCWUT) selected Thompson as the exclusive pipe provider for the project.
“This project is special to us,” said Utilities Director Chris Browning. “More than sixty years ago, our city leaders saw fit to expand our water footprint beyond the drought-prone prairie lands where Oklahoma City got its start in 1889. Now, as our service area continues to grow, it’s time to expand upon our current infrastructure and build a new line that will ensure the resiliency of our raw water delivery system for future generations.”
Thompson Pipe Group President Ken Thompson says Oklahoma City made a sound investment in water infrastructure. “The current Atoka pipeline was built nearly 60 years ago,” he said. “This new project sets an example for how local and regional utilities can and should invest in critical infrastructure.”
Photos courtesy of Oklahoma Water Utilities Trust
