February 2022 Vol. 77 No. 2
Features
Irrigation Project Introduces HDPE to Montana’s Glacier Park Lodge
By Sara Kleinecke
There is a rich history etched in Montana’s Rocky Mountains and surrounding areas, a bygone era that marked the beginning of The Great Northern Railway and its creation of lodges nestled among one of the most beautiful places on Earth, Glacier National Park. Even today, visitors still arrive by train in East Glacier and are transported by bus to the historic, Glacier Park Lodge, part of the Pursuit Glacier Park Collection.
With its pristine landscape, a picture-perfect mountain view, and proximity to vast wilderness, Glacier Park Lodge is a traveler’s dream. Still holding true to the simplicity of earlier days, the lodge has no television or workout rooms, and this sits well with the millions of guests who are looking to connect with the great outdoors. Glacier Park Lodge makes that easy; each guest room has a balcony with a clear view to enjoy the beauty of the mountains.
Every summer, the lodge attracts seasonal workers of all ages, from young adults to retirees, who are interested in adventure and spending their days among the mountain canvas. An example is retired McElroy Manufacturing engineer Jim Perrault and his wife, who recently spent their first summer working at Glacier Park Lodge.
Perrault served as part of the maintenance team while his wife tended to the breath-taking gardens. Avid adventurers, they typically travel across the country in their RV during the summer months, and when they found out they could pair working at the lodge, with setting up camp in Glacier National Park, they set out for an unforgettable experience.
Right place at the right time
Named by USA Today as one of the top 10 best lodges in America’s national park system, Glacier Park Lodge prides itself on preservation and protecting the environment. Up until this past summer, the lodge was using drinking water to irrigate its spacious front lawn and garden. Local water authorities informed the lodge that, due to water scarcity, it would need to discontinue using the treated water and find an alternate way to irrigate the garden.
Fortunately, the lodge didn’t have to look too far. The nearby Midvale Creek Dam, sourced from the melting snow caps of the mountains, offers raw, creek water currently being used to irrigate the lodge’s nine-hole golf course. With an elevation difference of 149 feet between the creek and the front of the lodge, no pump is needed due to the gravity flow and plenty of water pressure.
Given Perrault’s previous experience with HDPE (high-density polyethylene pipe) and underground construction, he offered his help to change the garden’s water source. The maintenance team was unfamiliar with HDPE, so Perrault explained the benefits and how it could work for this irrigation project.
With the greenlight to move forward, Perrault immediately contacted High Country Fusion, a division of Consolidated Pipe & Supply Company Inc., to secure the necessary pipe, fittings and fusion equipment for the job. According to David Hanks, president, High Country Fusion was excited to provide materials for Glacier Park Lodge, where he and many of his colleagues have had the privilege of visiting in the past. Hanks said it is great to be part of something that is extending the life of our National Parks.
“Glacier National Park offers one of the most unique landscapes in the world, from the mountains to the valleys, it is such a beautiful locale. With the harsh winters in Montana, and the constant freeze and thaw cycles the state’s infrastructure goes through, HDPE is exactly what is needed for this extreme environment. The goal is to put something in the ground that will last for generations to come,” Hanks said.
High Country Fusion provided 1,160 feet of 4-inch DR11 HDPE pipe and fittings, and a McElroy Pit Bull 14 unit to complete the butt fusions. This compact, lightweight, manual McElroy machine fuses pipe from 1-inch 4-inch IPS pipe. While easy to use, it features a patented Centerline Guidance System and fuses tees, elbows and other fittings with consistent, high-quality results.
Perrault provided the operator training for the Glacier Park Lodge maintenance team. The project entailed fusion of the sticks of pipe, disconnecting the lodge’s front lawn and garden from the treated water, and hooking it up to the creek water, then burying the pipeline. The new HDPE installation is making a bridge between the two different systems, by using part of the infrastructure underground in the front lawn and back feeding the other end with the creek water through the HDPE pipe. After the lawn and plants absorb the water, any surplus will go right back into the Midvale Creek.
Future project: replacing wood water pipe
The timing of this project was crucial because it needed to be completed between the season ending and lodge workers leaving for winter. This irrigation project was also an introduction, allowing the lodge to get comfortable with thermoplastic pipe because there are other projects on the horizon. One is replacement of the 10-inch wood pipe that supplies all the creek water from the Midvale Creek Dam.
Previously the main drinking source for the lode, the wood pipeline now is only used to irrigate the landscape and golf course. This meant the pipe size could be downsized.
“When it comes to doing the repair, we can slipline 8-inch HDPE, because this water source is now only being used for the front lawn, garden and golf course. In addition, HDPE pipe fits the bill for this project because of the flexibility of the pipe to adapt to winding paths without the use of additional fittings,” said Perrault.
“This is truly an opportunity to take the lodge to the next level,” said Hanks. “For the Pursuit Glacier Park Collection to take the initiative to implement HDPE into the infrastructure of the 108-year-old Glacier Park Lodge is an example of one of the many sustainable products being used at the lodge.
“Not to mention, HDPE pipe has a long lifespan, of up to 100 years, fused pipe joints and zero water leakage. It’s a testament to how infrastructure engineering can change when everyone is committed, and it paves the way for innovative thinking and the possibility for similar upgrades to other National Parks throughout the country.”
The concept of this lodge and others that are dotted along the mountain skyline came from big thinkers and creative minds that wanted to impact the future. With conservation and preservation at its core, this landmark is a treasure, and these planned upgrades to the infrastructure will take them to the next century and beyond.
A former television news reporter, SARA KLEINECKE left the business in 2013 to pursue a career in public relations and marketing. She spent several years working in the North Louisiana tourism industry and the non-profit sector, before transitioning to the manufacturing industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
McElroy Manufacturing, (918) 836-8611, mcelroy.com
High Country Fusion, a division of Consolidated Pipe & Supply Company, Inc., (208) 764-2000, highcountryfusion.com
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