Why Use Ductile Iron Pipe? An Interview With Bill Dunnill, GM ...

EVEN IN THIS MODERN ERA, we are still concerned with many of the issues that early civilizations faced when providing water to our communities, such as supply and demand, pipeline construction and upkeep, cleanliness, conservation and cost. In the fall of , McWane Ductile’s Senior Regional Engineer, Roy Mundy, had the opportunity to interview Consolidated Utility District General Manager Bill Dunnill. The two gentlemen, both with utility management experience, had a candid conversation about Bill’s day-to-day challenges, successes and his preferred choice of pipeline material. The following are excerpts from their discussion.

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Roy Mundy: Tell us a little bit about yourself. You are obviously an experienced, well-credentialed and well-respected leader in our industry.

Bill Dunnill: I graduated from Bradley University with a B.S. in civil engineering in . I spent over 16 years in the oil and gas industry, where I was responsible for the transportation of crude oil and natural gas. During this tenure, I also served as mayor of a small southern Illinois community, which introduced me to public utilities. This led to my migration to Tennessee and, ultimately, General Manager of Consolidated Utility District, which is the sixth largest public water purveyor in the state.

Mundy: Tell us about the Consolidated Utility District (CUD).

Dunnill: CUD has more than 55,000 active customers and 517 square miles of service territory. Our water plant averages over 10 million gallons per day (MGD) and peaks at 14 MGD. The customer base consists of 97 percent residential, 2.5 percent commercial and industrial and 0.5 percent wholesale to other utilities. Our water source is the east fork of the Stones River with an intake at the headwaters of J. Percy Priest Lake. The current customer growth is just over 2,100 per year, with an ever-increasing percentage of commercial and industrial growth.

Mundy: One key component in your plan to control system demand is water loss reduction. Coming back to the types of pipeline material in your system, do you monitor the percentage of leaks based on the material of the pipe? Tell us what you’ve found.

Dunnill: Absolutely! Our experience shows that AC is about 10 times as likely to fail as PVC. Cast iron runs about five times as likely as PVC. Conversely, we have only one fifth the leaks on DIP as PVC, and most of those are caused by physical damage from someone working around the pipe. Hence, CUD now specifies only DIP on all transmission and distribution mains.

Mundy: Have you done any studies on the cost of ductile iron pipe vs. PVC regarding new development projects in your service area?

Dunnill: When we changed our specs in , the cost to the developer was a consideration. We made some concessions in service line materials and even DIP wall thickness. The net increase was about $370 per lot at that time. Although not insignificant, it was miniscule in comparison to the cost of the lot, and the long-term benefit to CUD ratepayers is tremendous.

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McWane Ductile would like to thank Bill Dunhill for his time and expertise in providing an open and honest conversation about how CUD successfully addresses these issues daily. We hope you found this information helpful and informative. 

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Roy Mundy, P.E., ENV SP, Assoc. DBIA currently serves as Senior Regional Engineer for McWane Ductile, assisting utilities and engineering firms with value engineering of pipeline projects, educating them in pipeline material selection, and assisting them with specification development and updating. Roy has a BS in Civil Engineering from West Virginia Institute of Technology and an MS in Engineering Management from West Virginia University College of Graduate Studies. He is a registered professional engineer in six states and an ENVISION Sustainability Professional. Before McWane Ductile, Roy served as Lead Executive with the American Water System, retiring as President/CEO of Kentucky-American Water Co. Roy has served as Section Chair and on several national committees of AWWA, Board of Directors, and national committees of NAWC, Chair of ORSANCO, member of Kentucky Infrastructure Authority. He currently serves on AWWA – Business Practices Standards Committee, the KY/TN Section Management Committee, and the Water/Wastewater and Legislative Committees of DBIA. Roy is a member of AWWA, NSPE, KSPE, ASCE, DBIA, and KYRWA.

"I joined McWane Ductile in after spending most of my career in the water industry in the private water utility sector," said Mundy. "I enjoy the opportunity to work with engineering firms and utilities to assist with value engineering projects and provide education on the various aspects of our products. I enjoy restoring classic cars, but foremost enjoy time with my family traveling and working around our small farm in Kentucky."

https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-mundy-7b/

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