Project overview
Challenge:
Lake Oswego Corporation needed a vessel that could serve as a work barge for lake maintenance and hold the products used to control algae in the lake. The vessel also needed to have areas that would hold the products and tools used for their maintenance.
Solution:
Ferguson Industrial offered a work barge with sealed compartments located in the flotation chambers to contain the algae control products.
Customer:
Lake Oswego Corporation
Industry:
Freshwater recreation
Location:
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Products:
Work barge with sealed compartments located in the flotation chambers to contain the algae control products
Advantages to HDPE:
The finished product will not corrode, rust and does not promote microbial growth. Additional benefits include:
- Low lifetime cost
- Little to no maintenance required
- Environmentally friendly
- Durable on-site during construction
“We are very happy with the barge, especially for use in seasonal chemical applications during the summer. It consistently performs well for us and has never given us any problems.” — Gabe Winfrey, Operations Manager, Lake Oswego Corporation
Project background and scope
The Lake Oswego Corporation is an organization that manages and maintains the 415-acre Oswego Lake and its lakefront properties. The business is also responsible for safety, water quality, maintenance, licensing, permitting and special events in the area.
As a founding member of the Oswego Lake Watershed Council, they are a non-regulatory stewardship organization established to improve the conditions and health of the Oswego Lake watershed and its stream network.
In recent years, Oswego Lake has suffered from summertime algae blooms due to fertilizer runoff from nearby properties. To help control the blooms, and for additional general lake maintenance, Lake Oswego Corporation operations manager Gabe Winfrey contacted Ferguson Industrial for assistance with custom floating structures.
The industrial plastics division at Ferguson Industrial worked with Winfrey to design a custom 12' x 32' floating barge that could serve as a platform for workers to use to control algae blooms.
Ferguson Industrial manufactured a barge using HDPE (high-density polyethylene) materials and a galvanized steel frame. The newly fabricated 384-square-foot barge can carry up to 39,000 pounds of material, providing Lake Oswego Corporation with a durable, low-cost and environmentally friendly barge that is expected to provide many years of service.
Because the lake already suffers from algae blooms, it was important to utilize materials that would not leach harmful contaminants into the lake water. HDPE and galvanized steel were the only logical choices, providing long service life while resisting rust, corrosion and microbial growth.
“We are very happy with the barge, especially for use in seasonal chemical applications during the summer,” Winfrey said. “It consistently performs well for us and has never given us any problems.”
The solution: Ferguson Industrial
As the selected HDPE supplier, we provided technical support during planning and identified the required products to complete the project.
To learn more about how we can help your company solve your challenges, visit ferguson.com/industrial.