At Thursday’s meeting of the Independence City Commission, City Engineer John Garris reported the City’s recent water transmission line project for Bartlett Montgomery County, constructed in partnership with Rural Water District #6, has been selected for a 2025 Engineering Excellence Award presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Kansas. This honor recognizes outstanding engineering projects that demonstrate innovation and creative problem-solving, and the award entry was submitted in conjunction with EBH Engineering, the lead project engineering firm and a member of the Kansas ACEC organization.
Nicknamed the “Big Straw,” the project included a 9-mile, 14-inch water transmission line, connecting the Independence water supply to the new Bartlett Montgomery County soybean processing facility. One of the notable challenges of the project was the installation of the pipeline below the bedrock of the Verdigris River, in addition to crossing 11 other waterways. The project was fast-tracked to meet the critical water needs of the $400 million soybean facility, which was already under construction when the project began.
Project specifications required the water line to supply 600,000 gallons per day to the facility initially, with an ultimate capacity of 2.4 million gallons per day. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of all partners, the project was completed five days ahead of schedule and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars under the initial budget.
In addition to the City of Independence and EBH Engineering, other key construction partners included Nowak Construction, Terracon, R.E. Pedrotti Company Inc., and PKMR Engineers.