MSA has been a proud partner of the City of Van Horne since 2010. In 2017, the City contracted with MSA to address vital upgrades to their aging, undersized water main. At that time, there was only one connection point from the existing 12-inch transmission line to distribute to the entirety of the City – a population of nearly 700 residents. The water system was in dire need of redundancy in order to provide an added layer of safety and security in the event of a water main break or fire, where water capacity would be a critical life-impacting need.

MSA worked with City staff and utilities to make upgrades to 2,600 linear feet of water main, adding a second connection to the main transmission line for redundancy. This created a looped system and vastly improved public safety within the community. The City of Van Horne planned to fund the project entirely with local funds, with a somewhat restricted budget. MSA and the City worked together to create a thoughtful and concise plan for the water main design, restoration and construction that would reduce costs, making upgrades that would meet needs without exceeding financial plans.

The project was bid during the 2019 bidding season under a more relaxed schedule in order to solicit the most competitive bids. Nine bids were received and the project came in at a significant $100,000 below budget. This cooperative planning and careful coordination assured that the City of Van Horne was able to safely and successfully upgrade their community water main system without incurring controversial or restrictive debt for decades to come.