Supporting Growth in The River City

Along the Tennessee River and Wheeler Lake sits Decatur, Alabama, nicknamed “The River City.” Its access to water activities and proximity to Huntsville have made it a desirable place to live and work, fueling growth across the area.

To meet the city’s growing wastewater needs, Decatur Utilities embarked on the $22.6 million Moulton Street Collector 60-inch sewer main project in late 2024. The contractor was John Plott Company (JPC), which self-performed all the pipe installation. The design engineer was Garver, which designed the pipeline around existing infrastructure. AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe provided more than 7,000 feet of 60-inch gravity sewer pipe as well as more than 200 feet of 24-, 36- and 42-inch pipe.

Decatur Utilities allotted JPC 760 days to complete the project. JPC finished more than five months ahead of schedule in May 2026, despite challenges that included working around existing infrastructure, excessive groundwater and coordinating pedestrian and vehicle traffic around Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School.

“Several of the lines ran parallel to existing 36- and 42-inch sewer mains as well as to the Tennessee River, which was well below the water table,” said JPC Vice President Andy Harshman. “We had to run multiple dewatering pumps throughout the installation.

“I want to thank the JPC team for this project’s success,” Harshman said. “They worked through several challenges and completed the project ahead of schedule. Also, thanks to Turn-Key Tunneling for its work to complete the two 90-inch tunnels beneath the Norfolk Southern railroad and Highway 20.”

Harshman said early communication with AMERICAN helped keep the project moving forward. “The AMERICAN team provided a detailed shipping schedule, so we had pipe on hand and didn’t have delays. Outside of Jim Ballintine and Bret Busby [AMERICAN Sales engineers], I would have to give credit to the people in the shop making the pipe. The pipe laid really well. We did not have any problems with pipe testing.”

Busby said, “JPC was a true partner, and we appreciate the relationship we have with them. The skill and knowledge of their team were evident in their ability to complete this challenging project months ahead of schedule. AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe’s easy-to-assemble joint design also enabled the team to install the pipe quickly and be confident each connection was properly assembled.”

 The Moulton Street Collector project is part of Decatur Utilities' broader effort to support future growth and strengthen its wastewater infrastructure. The utility is also investing $90 million to upgrade the influent pump station and headworks at its Dry Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, which has a design capacity of 36 million gallons a day (MGD) and treats an average of 21 MGD.