Ten incredible employees from Arlington Water Utilities will be representing City of Arlington and competing for a chance to go to London at the state pipe-tapping and Top Ops competitions on Wednesday.
Adam Stark, Adam Wagner, Taw Woolford, and Mathew Manson volunteered to be the first pipe-tapping team Arlington Water Utilities has fielded in fifteen years. The team has practiced several hours outside of work over the past few weeks to prepare for the competition. Pipe tapping refers to the process of installing a water service line from a water main to a customer's house. This process usually takes around thirty minutes; however, the team can complete the process in about two minutes.
Texas holds the largest regional pipe tapping competition in the country. The competition is a race against time to drill into a cement-lined, ductile iron pipe and install a tap, but the teams are also evaluated for penalties based on leaks, their process, and safety. On April 9th, the pipe-tapping team gave a demonstration of its skills to a cheering audience including the Director of Arlington Water Utilities and the City Manager. The team shirts are based on the manhole cover designs for Arlington's entertainment district and incorporating features of the City's logo, the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Cowboys, and Six Flags.
Six more employees (Kevin Cornelius, John LaPorte, Joe Sikes, Marlene Baker, Jacqueline Medina, and Derek Littlejohn) will also be competing in Top Ops, a quiz bowl style competition that pits teams against each other by testing their knowledge of water treatment processes. The Top Ops teams consulted with other championship teams to devise their training strategy, and have been studying and practicing since November to prepare for the upcoming competition.
If any of the Arlington Water Utilities teams take top place, the team will compete at the national competition in Boston. If they win the national competition, they will then travel to London to compete against teams from all over the world.
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