July 2009 - When most people think of Colorado, the Rocky Mountains are one of the first things that come to mind. Skiing, sunshine and snow are likely to follow. Water, however, isn't commonly associated with the Centennial State, nor the Mile-High City. Much of Colorado and its capital, Denver, are situated in an arid region, and they sometimes suffer from water shortages.

To help deal with this problem, in the summer of 2006, Aurora, Colo., a suburb of Denver, began developing the Prairie Waters Project. The largest pipeline project in Colorado, it will allow the city to collect water from the South Platte River.

A major component of the project is the construction of a 34-mile pipeline, through which up to 3.3 billion gallons of water per year will be pumped to a purification plant. The project is scheduled to wrap up in late 2010.

Mountain Man Welding and Fabrication Inc., Denver, has been involved with the Prairie Waters Project since the beginning of 2007. MMWF has played an integral role in helping keep the construction on schedule.

"We work for multiple contractors on various stages of [the Prairie Waters Project]," says Coni White, office manager at MMWF. "It's a humungous [undertaking], as well as, at times, a juggling act."

Staying in, heading out
But big projects are nothing new to MMWF. The company, which was founded in 1992 by President Linda Jacobs and her husband, Rick Sublette, started small and still handles a wide array of project sizes.

MMWF has grown to establish itself as a major player in the Colorado welding scene, specializing in carbon and stainless steel piping. Its primary focus is water pipelines and treatment facilities.

Over the past 17 years, MMWF has worked on more than 50 large water pipeline jobs in Colorado and Wyoming, welding pipe from 2 in. to 120 in. in diameter with a spectrum of wall thicknesses.

MMWF prides itself on versatility and commitment to quality, which has enabled it to take on many one-of-a-kind jobs. These range from welding the trellis support system at Denver International Airportto fabrication of a 12-ft.-by-34-ft., 27-ton reservoir trash rack.

MMWF's primary business is on-site welding services, however, according to White.

"We have 10 field welding rigs or trucks that we have guys working on all the time," she says. "We also do oil and gas flowlines as part of our oil field segment. It's mostly natural gas, but we do testing of rigs, as well as putting in new pipe."

Accordingly, most of MMWF's customers are pipe contractors, but the company also works with its share of general contractors.

White says municipalities, cities, water districts and Denver Waterare among the company's customers. It has also done work in North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona and Kansas.

Wide range
In addition to on-site welding, MMWF operates a fabrication shop, whose capabilities include building generator skids, a frac truck prototype, pipe supports, buttstraps, outrigging pads and fire training simulators. Typical fabrication runs the gamut from structural to pipe fabrication.

Some of the equipment MMWF uses includes plate rolls and a shear that can handle material 0.5 in. to 10 ft. thick. The company also has various pieces of equipment for aluminum, stainless and steel welding.

All of MMWF's welders are certified in carbon steel welding, and some are certified in stainless steel and aluminum welding. Other certifications include American Welding Society D1.1 and ASMESection IX.

MMWF's wide range of capabilities and clients help define the company, as well as set it apart. But White says commitment to quality and exceeding customers' expectations really differentiate it. FFJ