Lake Oswego Corporation chose Ferguson Industrial for technical support and specialized solutions during planning. As their HDPE supplier, we provided products to complete the project as well as an HDPE barge.
Lake Oswego Corporation
Freshwater Recreation
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Work barge with sealed compartments located in the floatation chambers to contain the algae control products.
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.
Ferguson Industrial offered a work HDPE barge with sealed compartments located in the flotation chambers to contain the algae control products.
The finished product will not corrode or rust and does not promote microbial growth. Additional benefits include:
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
In recent years, Lake Oswego 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 manager Gabe Winfrey contacted Ferguson Industrial for assistance.
The Ferguson Industrial Industrial Plastics Division 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.
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 the 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.
Ferguson Industrial is the industrial division of Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., based in Newport News, Virginia. We are a North American supplier of pipe, valves, and fittings (PVF), as well as general maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products, specializing in delivering valve automation, instrumentation, engineered products, and turn-key solutions. We also provide supply chain management solutions focused on providing significant cost savings across the entire supply chain.
Piping made from HDPE is a long-lasting and cost-effective product for a broad range of piping solutions in industrial, marine, mining, landfill and agricultural applications. It has been proven to be effective above ground, buried, floating and sub-surface marine applications.
Our quality program is the greatest value we provide our customers as a trusted supplier. We are dedicated to the safe operation of the industries we serve, knowing that the products we supply are critical to the safe operation of their facilities.
