Flooding in South stalls bidding for Cane River Pump Project
Bidding for the Cane River Pump Station Project has been postponed due to the 2016 flooding in South Louisiana. The pump station is the last stage in a larger project to transfer water from the Red River to Cane River Lake.
“We were under bid when the flooding occurred,” said Cane River Patrol Officer Betty Fuller. “My heart goes out to everyone.”
The unique filtration system required for the pump station limits the choice of contractors, which are all found in the Southern regions of the state. Once the floodwaters go down, the project will go out for rebid, but Fuller said it’s hard to put a date on this.
The last piece to the puzzle, the construction of an intake into the Hampton area, will be delayed as well because it’s affected by the levels of the Red River.
“We have no control over this flooding, but it’s playing a big part in this project,” she said.
CRWC marks beginning of Pump Station construction
The Cane River Waterway Commission held a groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 23 to mark the beginning of construction for the Pumping Station Project. The pump station is the last stage in a larger project to transfer water from the Red River to Cane River Lake. CRWC Chairman James “Jim” Rhodes said they’re hoping the project will be finished by late summer. However, the pump, motor and filtration system for this one-of-a-kind project are being manufactured in California and Baton Rouge, which makes a definitive completion date hard to estimate.
Community members at the groundbreaking ceremony included Contractor James Womack and his son Camden, James Grantham, Mayor Lee Posey, Bill Robertson from Commissioner Foster Campbell’s Office, CRWC Vice-Chair Margaret Vienne, CRWC Chairman James “Jim” Rhodes, CRWC member Larry Paige, farmer Danny Methvin, Gerald Longlois, Tim Methvin, Bryant Collins and Cane River Patrol Officer Betty Fuller.
Commission's First Statement on "Pump Station"
On November 14, 2016, the Cane River Waterway Commission retained Womack and Sons Construction Group, Inc. to construct the "Cane River Lake Pump Station" and related structures. The purpose of the project was to provide a means to pump water, as needed, from Hampton's Lake (an oxbow of Red River) into Cane River Lake, during times when the water level of Cane River Lake dropped below certain limits.
The project was originally scheduled for completion in January 2018. At the contractor's request, the Commission voluntarily extended this date by about one month.
During initial tests, it was determined that the discharge rates from the pumping and filtering system were lower than the project specifications. All of the persons involved in the project, including its engineer, contractor, and subcontractors, immediately began work to evaluate and address this issue. At present, those persons are continuing to address this issue.
Based on the information provided by the engineers, contractors, and subcontractors, the Commission currently estimates that it shall take at least two more weeks to fully test the system. It is hoped that a solution to the current problem shall be developed during that testing. As a public entity, the Commission shall require compliance with its public contract and other specifications of the job.
Chairman Jim Rhodes has explained that this is the largest project of its toe in the United States. "We understand that some troubleshooting is not unusual for a project of this scope." Nonetheless, the Commission "must protect its interests, and will do so." Right now, Rhodes believes that the responsible persons are all working together to promptly address the issues.
"We want to give them time to complete their work."
Commission's Second Statement on "Pump Station"
Since mid-June 2018, testing has continued on the Cane River Waterway Commission's "Cane River Lake Pumping Station." The system was last tested on July 2, 2018. Although the system has proved operable during short tests, it has operated below specifications, delivering about one-third the water flow rate required by the specifications. On July 6, 2018, the Commission's project engineer formally requested that the contractor provide a proposal to bring the project into compliance with the specifications. This proposal should be delivered to the project engineer prior to July 20, 2018. The Commission shall continue to provide more information on the project as that becomes available.
Commission Files Suit over Pumping Station
The Cane River Waterway Commission has filed a petition regarding the contracts governing the construction of the Cane River Lake Pumping Station and Pipeline.
A copy of the Petition can be viewed here: July 26, 2018 - Petition
Commission's 3rd Statement on "Pump Station"
On July 26, 2018, the Cane River Waterway Commission filed suit against Womack & Sons Construction, Inc., and Womack's bonding company. On September 13, 2018, Womack & Sons Construction filed its answer to the Commissions' original lawsuit. In its answer, Womack generally denied that it was responsible for any failure of the pump station. Womack also filed a counterclaim against the Commission, seeking full payment of the contract sums allegedly owed under the contract. In addition, Womack sought payment for a specific change order, which Womack alleged was approved in April 2018. In addition to this counterclaim, Womack filed a third party claim against its own subcontractor, Tekleen Automatic Filters, Inc. ("Tekleen"), and Tekleen's bonding company. Womack generally alleged that the filters provided by Tekleen were not sufficient to meet the specifications of the job, which specifications required that the filters be capable of allowing a water flow of 30,000 gallons per minute. Alternatively, Womack alleged that the specifications themselves were inadequate.
Womack also named the Commission's engineer, Demon Engineering Company, Inc., as a third-party defendant.
The Commission's goal remains to obtain a pumping station that will meet the specifications of the job. Tekleen and Demon Engineering (and their respective bonding companies) must now respond to the third-party demands that Womack has filed against them. It will likely be several weeks before all of these parties have responded to the allegations. The Commission shall continue to evaluate all of its options as it moves through the process of litigation.
