How Magnolia River And The City Of Fairhope Work Together To Support Increasing Customer Demand For Natural Gas
CHALLENGE
In 2019, city leaders of Fairhope, AL, found themselves completely overwhelmed. The metro area had recently been named one of the fastest growing in the entire country, thanks to its proximity to the coast, excellent weather, historic downtown area, and friendly folks. Good news, right?
Growth meant more gas users and more gas users meant less system pressure and a growing risk that some residences or businesses might run out of gas.
SOLUTION
Fairhope turned to Magnolia River to assist with strategic planning, helping to maintain system-wide safety and integrity. Magnolia performed a system model and made recommendations on new pipeline installation and replacement of cast iron piping classified as “leak prone” by the Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration (PHMSA).
Fairhope city and utility department leadership including Mayor Sherry Sullivan, Gas Superintendent Jeremy Little, and Compliance Manager Wes Boyett were extremely proactive in putting together a plan to address this growth and the growing need for natural gas. The plan included funds for pipeline replacement and digital mapping of their underground infrastructure.
RESULTS
What started as a simple modeling project has blossomed into Engineering, Inspection, and GIS contracts as Magnolia River has become a trusted partner to Fairhope over the years. As of 2022, Fairhope will also be utilizing Magnolia River’s software, FlowGIS, to map their assets while Magnolia River will use the same software to report back to Fairhope on compliance-related activities like atmospheric corrosion assessments and the identification of inactive gas service lines (hot risers).
Magnolia River remains a trusted partner with the Fairhope Public Utilities as they continue to grow.