Among the five ribbon cuttings held Jan. 20, Memphis District leadership stopped at the W.G. Huxtable Pumping Plant in Lee County, Marianna, Arkansas, to celebrate another project completed with the help of District Partner St. Francis Levee District, pumping plant employees, and the Project Delivery Team.
Similar to what happened to Graham Burke Pumping Station, the Huxtable station also suffered an operation failure during a high-water event in 2019. A service contract was awarded to Atlanta Gear Works, Inc. for $1,098,362 to complete several repairs in order to get the pumps up and running again.
Starting Mar. 20, 2020, the contractor rebuilt two damaged gear boxes and performed vibration tests on ten gear boxes at the plant. All work was completed Jan. 15, 2021.
“The overhauls repair the extensive damage to the gearboxes that resulted from the failure,” Project Manager Marsalis Roddy said. “The vibration tests will provide valuable insight and data regarding life expectancy and potential repairs needed for the remaining gearboxes. This pumping plant helps protect over 1.2 million acres of agricultural land in southeast Arkansas, and ensuring its operability is crucial to the district being proactive in minimizing the plant’s downtime and protecting this portion of the state from the hazards of flooding.”
Congratulations to the Project Delivery Team members Project Manager Marsalis Roddy, Technical Lead Daphlyn Koester, Mechanical Engineer Daphlyn Koester, Hydraulics & Hydrology – Robert Gambill, Cost Engineering – Jeromy Carpenter, Pumping Plant Supervisor Brett Barnhart, and Contracting Specialist Christopher White.