O & M Enterprises, Inc.

A few days of final detail work, a couple more lights, asphalt,,, can you see it?

Downtown Holden is a busy place these days. Things will begin taking shape now.

Downtown Holden, temporarily under siege as workers demolish in preparation to reconstruct Second Street from wall to wall. Truly, an amazing effort by all as Holden makes way for this colossal rehabilitation project. Hat’s off to all Businesses and customers, as well as the workers for their cooperation in this outstanding community improvement.

Pictured below is a 6 inch water main that was installed in the late 1800s. This cast iron pipe was originally installed as a fire suppression line strictly for use in fighting fires. At that time there was minimum treatment, as this WAS NOT a drinking water line. Later, in the early 1920’s a water treatment plant was built where the Holden Water Department and O&M Enterprises offices are located now. This treatment plant had facilities for aeration, coagulation/clarificatio...n, filtration, and disinfection. Upon completion of the water plant construction, crews flushed and disinfected all of the water mains that existed at that time, and began installing new water mains throughout the community. What is seen on the interior of the pipe is a severe example of tuberculation. Tuberculation can occur on the walls of steel and iron pipes when certain physical, chemical, and biological conditions exist. The conductivity of the water can have an effect on it as well. There are three classifications for the chemical condition of water, scaling, neutral, and corrosive. Tuberculation is an indication of corrosive conditions. Corrosion is an electro-chemical activity where waters can dissolve the iron and minerals from the pipe walls and then redistribute them along the walls in the form of tuberculation, as scene in the picture. None of these minerals are detrimental to human health, but they can restrict flows and can on occasion break loose casing discoloration in the water. When we find a section of pipe in this severe of a condition, we remove and replace this area with ductile iron pipes that are lined with cement or zinc, to prevent this event. Also scene below are crews removing this section of main and installing new pipe in it’s place. This work is seen in one of the pictures below as well. Today we have water processes in place to prevent this. The water is conditioned to deposit a small, eggshell like crust onto the pipes to protect those minerals from dissolving and eliminating further tuberculation.

On January 13, 1887, the City of Holden (known then as Holden Enterprise) granted the firm of Quigley & Co. the exclusive right and privilege to construct and operate a system of water works known as the stand-pipe with water for the prevention and extinguishment of fires. The said Quigley & Co. was also authorized to establish, construct, maintain, and operate said works in, or adjacent to town of Holden, to construct and extend aqueducts, mains, and pipes, through all the ...streets, alleys, lanes, and public grounds for the same. Below is snapshot of the original plat showing the location of the standpipe, and the square where horse drawn wagons with water tanks and hand pumps would pull up and fill with water for extinguishing fires. You can see, that Ninth Street was expanded into a square for these activities. Our crews will be replacing one block of this pipe in coordination with the highway project.

The highway renovation work in Holden, along Second Street is well underway. In these pictures you can see crews installing storm sewer piping below ground with drop inlets along the way. This system will prevent stormwater from getting up over the sidewalks and in some cases entering doors into the businesses. You can also see crews lowering City water mains below the path of the storm sewer system. Not depicted here, crews will also be working simultaneously installing unde...rground electrical conduit for the new street lighting and auxiliary electricity for community events such as the Holden Fall Fiesta. We are all grateful for patience shown by the local business as workers must close the street during this phase. You can see, the temporary entrances into the buildings.

Something heavy is going down in Holden, and it's not just big-ole-honkin pipe.

A CHANGE IN PLANS... As crews have begun migrating downtown into the beginning stages of the MO DOT project along Second Street, there have been some discoveries made of underground stormwater piping that were previously unknown. Due to their size and locations, there will need to be some more discovery work done to understand exactly what is there, where it leads to, and how to connect it in with the new storm sewer collection system. Working together with MO DOT engineers a...nd the workers from Lehman Construction, We hope to be able to trace these pipes using robotic video inspection equipment and smoke testing to help design the best solution. Meanwhile, the construction will continue on Pine Street heading south from Second Street in the next few weeks. Leaving the downtown section of Second Street for later in the year, when we can be sure of what lies beneath the asphalt and concrete surface.

During the work along Olive Street, our crews discovered areas of serious deterioration in the sewer main lying beneath the center of the highway. There were four areas along the route between 9th Street and 3rd Street in need of serious repair. Fortunately, we were able to get in there and replace those areas before the new surface has been laid. This consisted of several linear feet of new sewer pipe with backfill, compaction, and resurfacing per State specification. We are grateful of this discovery and that we were able to address all of these items ahead of the new street surfacing.