Mayor R.T. Rybak Issues a Certificate of Achievement to the Minneapolis Water Tappers Who Head to Washington D.C for National Title

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Minneapolis Water Tappers in Action

Our guys usually work in obscurity, only getting attention if something goes wrong. Its nice to see them get a bit of limelight for something so positive

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) December 17, 2010

In less time than it takes you to brew your morning coffee, the Water Tappers of the Minneapolis East Side Yard can connect a city water main to a residential line, also known as "tapping". The 4-man team proved it on September 22nd when they completed a tap in 2 minutes 46 seconds – defeating regional rivals and earning an all expense paid trip to the national competition which will take place in Washington D.C. as part of the American Water Works Association Convention in 2011.

In an era when many people feel cynical and uninspired by their work, the Minneapolis Water Tappers show uncommon pride and passion for their specialized job. They know that they'll need it when they face off with the nations finest teams. Top flight teams have been known to complete a tap in less than a minute.

In order to simulate a typical "tapping" scenario, competition organizers mount a pair of large pipes about 8 feet apart. The "main" pipe is pressurized with water, while the "residential" pipe is empty but sealed so it can receive water once it is attached to the main.

The tapping team is composed of a setter, a cranker, a copperman and a coach. The setter and cranker focus on making a hole in the water main and fitting it with an arterial pipe. The copperman focuses on connecting copper piping to the residential outlet. The competition clock stops the moment the arterial pipe is successfully connected to the copper pipe.

Minneapolis Water Distribution Superintendent, Marie Asgian is proud of the team's accomplishment. "Our guys usually work in obscurity, only getting attention if something goes wrong. Its nice to see them get a bit of limelight for something so positive," she said.

To help build enthusiasm within the Water Department, Marie asked Saving Tape Media Conversion of Minneapolis for assistance in producing a flashy YouTube video. Saving Tape used camcorder footage taken at the regional Duluth competition and performed a camcorder to DVD digital conversion before encoding it into a YouTube compatible format. "It's been really cool to be able to send everybody links to the video and build enthusiasm for the upcoming national competition," she added.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak learned of the team's success through the YouTube video and promptly issued a certificate of achievement to Marie's department.

"When it comes to dedication, enthusiasm and plain hard work, I will put City of Minneapolis workers up against workers anywhere — and the Minneapolis East Side Yard Water Tappers are one of the finest examples. Here are City employees who not only work hard every day to deliver for our residents, but take pride in demonstrating their skill to their peers. They are doing us proud, and on behalf of the City of Minneapolis, I congratulate them on their success thus far. I can't wait for them to show the country what Minneapolis employees are made of," said Mayor Rybak.

To view the video of the Minneapolis East Side Yard Water Tappers in action visit Savingtape.com/minneapolis-tappers.

Contact:

Marie Asgian, P.E.
Superintendent of Water Distribution
Minneapolis Water Works
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/water/
(612) 673-5600

Contact:

Thor Anderson
Saving Tape Media Conversion
Minneapolis, MN
Web: http://www.savingtape.com
(612) 822-7283

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